Scott Long
10/20/20
When the Miami Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft the expectation was that he would be the franchise quarterback the team had hoped they had found with Ryan Tannehill and Josh Rosen. The plan was to sit him behind veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to learn and develop for the future, but it appears despite Fitzpatrick’s success this season, they have decided the future is now, as they have declared he will start at quarterback after their bye in the week 8 tilt against the Los Angeles Rams.
Last year, during his final season at Alabama, Tagovailoa was poised to be the first overall pick, and was a favorite for the Heisman Trophy, until his playing career flashed before his eyes when he suffered a significant hip injury that ended his season, as well as his chances at a Heisman Trophy, and caused him to slide back to the number five overall pick. Despite the risk, the Dolphins decided his talent was too good to pass up, and with his recovery seemingly going well, they decided he was their quarterback for the future. Tagovailoa has played in big games in his career, stepping in at halftime of the National Championship as a true freshman, and leading a comeback victory against the vaunted Georgia defense, and then bringing the Crimson back to the title game the next season before falling just short to the Clemson Tigers. The Dolphins hope his big game experience coupled with a young and talented roster, featuring high draft picks, and big-name free agent signings will make the team a force to be reckoned with for years to come. To top this off, the Dolphins still have two first round picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, while still retaining significant cap space, making Dolphins fans have hope after a full rebuild.
Second year head coach Brian Flores proved last year that he could establish a winning culture, overachieving and winning five games with a roster filled with inexperienced, undrafted and low salary players. He has further proved that this season by once again overachieving, with his team sitting at second place in the division at 3-3, behind the Buffalo Bills, and ahead of the New England Patriots. With the expansion of the playoffs to seven teams and three wild card spots this year, the Dolphins likely have their eyes on a playoff spot and figured what better time then now to get Tagovailoa involved. He will get the next two weeks of practice reps with the first team offense, since they are on the bye, and will have plenty of time to game plan for his first career start against Aaron Donald and the Rams. While the timing may seem a bit strange due to the high level of play Ryan Fitzpatrick has played at, the position of this week being their bye also makes it understandable why this is the week they made the move. Flores has exceeded expectations throughout his year and a half tenure as the Dolphins head coach, and thus has earned the trust of Miami’s front office, and deserves to make the decision if he thinks it is the right time.
Tagovalioa and the Dolphins will hope to keep the winning ways going week 8, extending the winning streak to three games, while getting the young quarterback a victory in his first start in the NFL, and also moving the team above .500. Miami will take the season one game at a time, but have high hopes for their young quarterback, and hope he is the spark the team needs to ignite a playoff birth.