Joel Klatt should issue apology to Tua Tagovailoa as Miami Dolphins have their QB

Joel Klatt of Fox Sports was Tua Tagovailoa's biggest fan when Tagovailoa was quarterbacking the University of Alabama. He speaks well of him now that he is in his fifth season, but he believes that Tagovailoa should be replaced at quarterback of the Miami Dolphins.

Klatt went on the record Thursday evening and stated that the Dolphins needed to move on from Tagovailoa and draft University of Washington quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. with their first-round draft choice. Klatt added that the reason the Dolphins have not given Tagovailoa a new contract yet is because Miami brass are waffling on whether to fish or cut bait with the fifth-year signal-caller.

To the contrary, I wonder if Klatt is familiar with the Salary Cap and how it works. Miami needs to clear space to sign Tagovailoa to a contract extension and that will come in due time. It probably won't come until after June 1 when Xavien Howard's salary, for the most part, comes off the books.

Horsepuckey! What Klatt is pontificating is pure heresy in NFL terms.

The Miami Dolphins have one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Tagovailoa and they will keep Tagovailoa through this season as an extension will be signed before training camp. Tagovailoa will be with the Dolphins longer than Klatt will be with Fox as long as he makes idiotic predictions and statements like this.

Not taking anything away from Penix, Jr., who will be a success in the National Football League, but he is not mocked by many pundits as being a first-round pick. Further, the Dolphins have their starting quarterback in Tagovailoa and need to get him another weapon with that 21st selection.

Give Tagovailoa more firepower and he will win a Super Bowl with the Dolphins. That firepower could be a wide receiver, a right guard, or even a center. Anything that will help Tagovailoa take the Dolphins to the next step would be needed and welcomed. There is no need to draft a quarterback in the first round.

Klatt stated that Mike McDaniel's offensive philosophy is "not the right offense for him." Did anyone tell Klatt that Tagovailoa was the AFC Pro Bowl starter and led the NFL in passing yards in 2023? How about the fact that he had the highest passer rating in 2022? That is empirical data that proves that this offense was built around Tagovailoa and his supporting cast.

""As good as Tua has played, and he has, he's gotten so much better, this is probably not the right fit. Every time you look up and you watch the highlights, Tyreek Hill is having to stop, reach back and catch.""

- Fox NFL Draft Analyst Joel Klatt

As Joe Schad from the Palm Beach Post pointed out Hill has averaged 1,755 receiving years catching passes from Tagovailoa. In contrast, Hill only averaged 1,105 yards in six seasons with Mahomes in Kansas City.

Is Tua perfect? No. However, who is? Tell me a quarterback's name who is perfect and I will show you flaws. Even thrice-time Super Bowl Champion and MVP Patrick Mahomes makes mistakes or has bad plays or games. If a team has to look for a new quarterback after each time they have a bad game, you would be recycling the same quarterbacks from the waiver wire.

McDaniel defended his quarterback back in December, when the Dolphins were on a skid.

""It's really, really, really, hard to play the quarterback position at the level that he plays it at. ""

- Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel

If Trent Dilfer can win a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens, then Tagovailoa is capable of winning a Super Bowl in Miami. Heck, we had a quarterback who was known as Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, win the NFC Championship and last season with the San Francisco 49ers. Purdy was one extra point away from winning the Super Bowl. Not bad for the final pick of the NFL Draft.

Tua Tagovailoa can throw the ball deep to his receivers, or check it down and have his receivers get yards after the catch.

""When you watch Miami, and what they really do, what they need is a guy that throws on time, with great leverage, and accuracy down the field.""

- Fox NFL Draft Analyst Joel Klatt

Does that mean that Tagovailoa is better than Mahomes? No, not really. But it shows that Hill has had greater success with number one and that the "fit" seems to be working quite well. Tagovailoa was drafted after Joe Burrow and before Justin Herbert. Burrow took Cincinnati to a Super Bowl and Herbert is still losing comparisons to Tagovailoa. I would have to say that Miami made the right choice in taking Tagovailoa instead of Herbert.

Make no mistake about it. This is Tua Tagovailoa's team and it will be until he decides to hang it up, or Miami loses him to free agency, of its own volition.