When it comes to making plays, Tua Tagovailoa has the arm to get the job done. He can sling the ball deeper than most give him credit for, and he is incredibly accurate just about anywhere on the field for this team.
The Dolphins will give him a new contract, but Tagovailoa can't simply take the money and relax. If he is going to be great, he needs to improve, and there are areas for him to do just that. Will he be able to answer the call in 2024?
3. Tua Tagovailoa needs to make better decisions
Tagovailoa can hit his first read in stride and walk down the field to celebrate a touchdown. He can check off that first read and hit the second read in a mere couple of seconds. Typically, with the same results. It's when the play breaks down from there that Tagovailoa starts to get erratic. Maybe it was the concussions that made him tick off seconds in his mind, knowing he would get hit shortly after the count reached three.
Tagovailoa has to make better decisions with the football when the play breaks down. The loss to the Bills last season in Week 17 was highlighted by one of the worst plays he had all season: an errant throw to the outside in double coverage that was intercepted. Miami's game ended, as did their race for the AFC East title.
This is an area that Tagovailoa needs to work on. He has to make time, move around the pocket, extend the play, and give his receivers a few more options to get open. Then, he needs to make the right reads. If he can do that, his game will improve. PFF, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post, pointed out that Tua grades at 93.6 when he has a clean pocket, but drops to 51.6 when under pressure. That is a big drop and something that he needs to work on.
According to PFF, Tua Tagovailoa graded 93.6 when "kept clean,” 3rd in the NFL.
— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) May 25, 2024
But Tagovailoa graded 51.6 when "under pressure,” 15th in the NFL.
In 2024, buying extra time and extending plays are reasonable goals. https://t.co/JeSIIFzgEc pic.twitter.com/0ZZVOtrZsu
2. Tua Tagovailoa needs to learn how to extend plays
This is different from buying time. Tagovailoa has to do better when the ball is in his hands, and the play has broken down. There are running lanes and great quarterbacks will exploit those lanes. Tagovailoa can run the ball, but he often chooses not to. Sometimes, that works well, but when he takes off and runs, he needs to do so with conviction.
Last year, again, perhaps as a result of his previous concussions, Tagovailoa's decisions to slide were often well before he needed to, and in several cases, he could have picked up first downs. This becomes more important on third downs. He needs to learn to work the sidelines as much as he can. When running up the field, he can use the hash marks to gauge his timing, and with a better vision of the field, he can make smarter decisions regarding sliding.
In 2023, Tagovailoa didn't play scared, but he played a little too cautious and that will not serve the team well in close games. If the Dolphins are going to beat good teams, their quarterback has to shoulder that burden.
1. Tua Tagovailoa has to get more players involved
There is nothing wrong with throwing the football to the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers, but for Tagovailoa, he relies far too much on Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. That has to stop. His vision of the field needs to improve, as we already pointed out, and that will change his decision-making, but for Tagovailoa to really break free of the shackles, he needs to get the other players involved as well.
Miami will almost always have at least three pass-catchers ready on any given play, and Tagovailoa has to be able to rely on the third and fourth receivers regardless of whether the play calls are in their direction or not. Tagovailoa has to be better at reading coverages and knowing where the open receiver will be. That is something he doesn't do well once he comes off his first and second reads. When blitzed, one player will be left unaccounted for, and Tagovailoa rarely changes his reads to avoid contact. Great quarterbacks will know where that open player will be and exploit it.
Those are the third and fourth receivers and Tagovailoa, who will now have Odell Beckham Jr. to work with, tends to throw their way only when the play calls for it, or a play breaks down and he scrambles. Unfortunately, Tagovailoa leaves plays on the field because he hasn't improved in this area. If he does, the Dolphins quarterback will be better than great.