The Miami Dolphins finished the regular season with a top 5 offense. They ranked 2nd in points, 1st in yards, 2nd in yards per play, and 1st in passing yards.
Miami laid an egg in the playoffs, losing to Kansas City 7-26.
After their playoff defeat, their general manager told reporters they would prioritize an extension for this offensive player.
The Miami Dolphins prioritize an extension for their starting quarterback.
General manager Chris Grier told reporters on Monday that they plan on extending Tua Tagovailoa:
“We’ve stayed in touch with his agent, had good conversations throughout the year,” Grier said. “Never talked about money or anything, just good conversations about where he is. …The goal is to have him here long term, playing at a high level. That’s always the goal.
“We’ll communicate with him through the offseason and like we’ve always said in the past, you guys know me, we don’t really talk to the media through all that stuff. So, we’ll keep those talks internal and with his reps.”
We will review Tua Tagovailoa’s first four seasons and whether he deserves an extension.
His rookie season:
The Dolphins drafted Tua Tagovailoa 5th overall in the 2020 draft.
Tua started the season as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s backup. Fitzpatrick was benched in favor of Tua in Week 6.
Tua started in Weeks 8-11 but was benched in Week 11. He missed Week 12 because he jammed his thumb in practice.
Tua returned in Week 13 and started the rest of the season but was benched again in Week 16. Miami needed to win in Week 17 to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, the team lost to Buffalo 26-56.
Tua completed 186 out of 290 pass attempts for 1,814 yards. He threw 11 touchdowns and five interceptions and went 6-3.
Miami’s offense finished 15th in points, 22nd in yards, 22nd in yards per play, and 20th in passing yards.
Their top three receivers were DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, and Myles Gaskin.
His second season:
Tua was the starting quarterback. He was carted off the field with a rib injury in Week 2. He fractured several ribs and was placed on injured reserve. He missed the next three games.
Tua returned to action in Week 6 and started the next three games. He missed Week 9 due to a small fracture in the middle finger of his throwing hand.
He came off the bench in Week 10. After coming off the bench in Week 10, he was the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.
Miami was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16 when they lost to Tennessee 3-34.
Tua completed 263 out of 388 pass attempts for 2,653 yards. He threw 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and went 7-5.
Miami’s offense finished 22nd in points, 25th in yards, 29th in yards per play, and 17th in passing yards.
Their top three receivers were Jaylen Waddle, Mike Gesicki, and DeVante Parker.
Miami ended up firing Brian Flores.
His third season:
Miami replaced Brian Flores with Mike McDaniel.
Tua started in 13 games. He suffered a concussion in Week 4 and missed the next two games. He returned to Week 7 and started the next nine.
Tua was out for the remainder of the season because he suffered a concussion in Week 16 and did not clear the concussion protocol until February 1.
Tua completed 259 out of 400 pass attempts for 3,548 yards. He threw 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions and went 8-5.
Miami’s offense finished 11th in points, 6th in yards, 3rd in yards per play, and 4th in passing yards.
Their top three receivers were Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Trent Sherfield.
His fourth season:
Tua started every game. He completed 388 out of 560 pass attempts for 4,624 yards. He threw 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions and went 11-6.
His top three receivers were Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Durham Smythe.
Why extending him doesn’t make sense.
Extending Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t make sense because he’s not an elite quarterback. Tua is a pocket passer who needs a clean pocket to be successful. He’s not very mobile and has 381 rushing yards in four seasons.
If Miami wants to be competitive, they should target Kirk Cousins.
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