When examining the Miami Dolphins’ potential in 2021, it seemingly comes down to one player: quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft had a very peculiar rookie season. After being inserted into the starting lineup in Week 8 and winning his first three games, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores opted to bench him in Week 11, and then again in Week 16. In all, Tagovailoa went 6-3 as the starter and threw for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Tagovailoa still stood out during his rookie season, as he became just the third rookie signal-caller in the Super Bowl era to not throw an interception in his first five career starts, and became the first Dolphins rookie quarterback to win each of his first three starts. Tagovailoa is going to have to win more games in Year 2 if he wants to retain the coveted title of franchise quarterback, however.
The former Alabama star was once seen as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, but a serious hip injury caused his stock to take a dip while LSU’s Joe Burrow experienced unprecedented success at the same time. Questions about Tagovailoa’s health carried into the 2020 regular season, but the young signal-caller revealed this week that he’s finally feeling better and he’s more confident because of it.
