Tua Tagovailoa is under a lot of pressure to succeed this year, and a 0-3 start is only putting more on his shoulders. Miami Dolphins fans don't have to look far to see that he is starting to feel it; it was on display last Thursday.
Tagovailoa's game play has been far more inconsistent this year, and it isn't bringing fans much hope for a successful season. It is, however, giving them more reason to watch college games with the hopes of seeing a 2026 rookie quarterback who could replace Tagovailoa.
After a horrible game against the Indianapolis Colts, Tagovailoa bounced back against the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills, but in both instances, a late-game, ill-advised throw ended the matchup with an interception. This won't continue all year, but it might be too late to recover.
Tua Tagovailoa is becoming his own worst enemy, and it may be too late for the Miami Dolphins to fix it
Whatever the problem for Tagovailoa is, the Dolphins' offense is suffering as a result. Through three games, and to some degree the latter half of last season, Miami's starting quarterback is trying far too hard to make throws.
After the Dolphins lost to the Patriots, Tagovailoa spoke with the media and said that he had told Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to "do their best to track the ball because they may have to stop." This came after he said he can't throw the ball 80 yards downfield. A few days later, he made the comment that he "can't do half of what Josh Allen does."
The fact that he is being open in his press conferences is great, but it's a bad look. The reality is the Dolphins expect him to deliver on the field, and he isn't doing that. Miami is 0-3 to start the year, but Tagovailoa is cracking when the game is on the line.
Recently, a video surfaced of his playing days in college at Alabama, and he looks nothing like the quarterback who was a gunslinger with an internal drive to lead his team. Without going too far into speculation, it is almost as though Tagovailoa is broken somehow.
Whatever is going on, Tagovailoa has to figure it out. From the outside looking in, it seems that more than his mobility has changed; it looks like his confidence has as well.
Miami needs him to take a step back and focus on the fundamentals. His accuracy has always been elite; it is far from it this year. If that doesn't change, the Dolphins will have no shot of fixing what is wrong, if they have a shot at all.