Dolphins move forward with Tua Tagovailoa after passing on trade for Deshaun Watson
In his first public comments since the end of the NFL Draft, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier defended the organization’s pursuit of Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and also expressed his belief in the team’s current signal-caller, Tua Tagovailoa.
Speaking to reporters for about 12 minutes Wednesday morning, Grier on multiple occasions called the team looking into the availability of Watson a “unique situation” that did not speak to any lack of faith in Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 Draft.
“I don’t think it’s any different than any player on the roster,” Grier said, “because if there’s a player available around the league that’s viewed as being one of the top players in the league at any position, I think you look at it and go for it, try and go for it. And so [we] investigate a player at any position, whether it’s wide receiver, D-line, O-line, linebacker. [If] it’s a good player, we’re going to investigate it and look at it.
“We’re very happy with Tua,” Grier continued. “We think he’s developing well. [Dolphins coach Brian Flores has] been very consistent in his message and we have been as well. He’s working hard and showed a lot of improvement and we think he’ll continue to develop into the player we think he can be.”
The Dolphins and Texans were not able to execute a deal that would have sent Watson to Miami ahead of the NFL’s 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline. Watson has not played this season in the wake of 22 civil suits and 10 criminal complaints alleging sexual harassment and misconduct. Watson, who requested a trade from Houston in January and has reportedly only waived his no-trade clause to Miami, has denied any wrongdoing. The NFL has not placed Watson on the commissioner’s exempt list, a player status used by the league to suspend players while they are being investigated under the personal conduct policy. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters at the league’s owner’s meeting that there wasn’t enough information yet to place Watson on the exempt list.
If the Dolphins and Houston choose to revisit discussions for a Watson trade, the earliest the two franchises would be able to officially complete a deal is March 16, 2022, the start of the new league year. Asked if the organization would look into upgrading the quarterback position — and seemingly pursue Watson again — after the season ended, Grier said he would re-evaluate the entire roster.
For now, the Dolphins will move forward with Tagovailoa, who has made 14 career starts and will make his 15th against the Texans at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. Tagovailoa was limited in practice Wednesday because of his lingering ribs injury and a new left finger injury.
Flores once again backed Tagovailoa and his progression.
“Well to you guys, I’ve said he’s definitely — and to him — he’s gotten better,” Flores said. “He’s gotten a lot better and he’s had some good performances this season. He just needs to take it one day at a time and continue to improve and get better. That’s where his focus should be. Not on anything outside of that. It should be on his meeting, his practice, his craft, his techniques, his fundamentals and not really worry about what anyone else is saying or writing, and just worry about the way he goes about his day on a daily basis.”
The selection of Tagovailoa has not only been questioned because of the team’s interest in Watson but because of draft contemporaries Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, selected one pick after Tagovailoa, who have shined in their first two seasons.
“We do our process with everyone and it was a process. We felt good about Tua,” Grier said. “There are a lot of things we like about Tua. We liked Justin, too. A good player. We spent time with both players and at the end of the day, we chose Tua and we feel he’ll be a good player in the league.”
Asked about a CBS report that Flores wanted to select Herbert and not Tagovailoa, Grier said it was “not accurate.”
With one chapter of the Watson saga essentially closed until the end of the season, the Dolphins can turn to evaluating Tagovailoa for the remainder of the 2021 season.
“I think the first thing is we want to get a win, we’ll start with that this week,” Tagovailoa said. “Try to get a win and obviously build off of that. It’s not really much to prove but it’s always what I can do better, and knowing my expectations for myself and how I want to go out there and play and not really anyone else’s expectations. …
“I’m not much of a patient guy. So, I kind of want things to happen quick. The saying is, ‘Nothing happens overnight’ and ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’ For me, I’ve just got to continue to trust the process and what we’re trying to get done here and hopefully start out winning some games starting with this week.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 3:19 PM.
