This season has not been kind to the Miami Dolphins, who sit at 1-6 after getting blown out by the Cleveland Browns of all teams. This season has also been rough on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who has thrown 10 interceptions in seven games and looked like a shell of himself.
Meanwhile, Justin Herbert, who was selected one pick after Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft, has blossomed into a true franchise quarterback.
Why is Herbert being brought up in a post about Tagovailoa? Well, because the two were taken fifth and sixth, respectively, it's only fair that the two will be compared for the entirety of their careers.
Robert Griffin III had previously been asked who he'd take between the two during an appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show," and he picked Tagovailoa.
RGIII appeared on "The Dan Patrick Show" again on Monday and referenced that conversation, stating that while he had picked Tua previously, the Dolphins quarterback has clearly lost his locker room.
The conversation began with RGIII saying that he thinks the Dolphins need to blow everything up and start over. That means not only moving on from Mike McDaniel but from Tua Tagovailoa as well.
"[The Dolphins] have to fire Mike McDaniel, and I do also believe they have to get rid of Tua Tagovailoa, and I'm a Tua guy.
You asked me... this is many shows ago, who would I take? Would I take Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert? And I picked Tua because of his ability to play before the defense and get the ball out in timing and rhythm, and his aggressiveness.
But he's thrown 10 interceptions this year, and he's thrown three interceptions in back-to-back games. I do believe Tua himself has lost that locker room.
...Once it starts to creep out like that for a guy like Tua who's always been very cognizant of what he says to the public, that, to me, means it's going a lot worse than what we're even seeing."
RGIII doesn't hold back on crticizing Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
While RGIII didn't directly say that he'd switch his answer to Herbert, pointing out that he believes that Tagovailoa has lost his locker room, and the back-to-back three-interception games are a pretty good way of showing how he feels about his decision now.
Even before the rough stretch of games, picking Tagovailoa over Herbert was always going to be considered controversial.
Griffin thinks the Dolphins should move on from both their head coach and their quarterback, but it's going to be a lot more difficult to part ways with Tagovailoa. The team paid him handsomely in the summer of 2024, giving him a four-year deal worth $212.4 million with a $56 million cap hit in 2026.
Props to RGIII here for at least not being afraid to revisit his previous pick and to criticize a player that he considers himself a fan of. Sometimes that's hard for these analysts to do, but at least Griffin was able to take a step back and evaluate the situation fairly.
While Dolphins fans are hoping that Tagovailoa can rebound and start playing to the level the team expected him to when they paid him all that money, right now, it's hard to picture. Hopefully, things will start changing for the better soon.