Dolphins’ Tagovailoa voted team captain. ‘The greatest honor you can have in a team sport.’
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been voted one of seven Dolphins captains for the 2022 NFL season, the team announced Thursday.
It’s the first time Tagovailoa, 24, has been named a Dolphins team captain. Safety Jevon Holland, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Xavien Howard, linebacker Elandon Roberts, offensive tackle Terron Armstead and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins were also named captains.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the vote — conducted after the roster cutdown to 53 players — was based on a point system and Tagovailoa was “the resounding highest point winner.
“I think it says everything,” McDaniel said. “I think it’s incredibly important when it’s done with the right reasons, with the right intent ... I think it speaks volumes on where he’s at with the team and their belief in him. Like all the captains that were voted, it’s a tremendous honor, especially in this situation where it’s 100 percent player-controlled.
“So, all those captain award winners were bestowed that anointment by their peers, and I think that’s the greatest honor you can have in a team sport. Especially the biggest team sport, which is professional football.”
Entering his third NFL season, Tagovailoa showed improvement in training camp and played well in short stints in the preseason. He appeared in two games, completing 12 of 15 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown.
With a new-look offense headed by McDaniel and additions such as Armstead, Hill and running backs Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert, the Dolphins are hoping for improved — and more consistent — play from Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa is 13-8 as a starter, completing 66 percent of his passes for 4,467 yards, 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Those around Tagovailoa have also said they have seen a player with more confidence and one who is letting his guard down.
“It’s my first time being around him, but just from these last several months I’ve seen growth,” Armstead said. “I’ve seen confidence, I’ve seen just his love and passion for the game. That just speaks volumes to him, how he approaches his job every day and we are 100 percent behind him. He is the captain, so he’s the one that we are all following and he’s going to lead us to wherever we got to go.”
Tagovailoa was not scheduled to speak to reporters this week, but when asked in July about the possibility of becoming a captain, he said he wasn’t concerned about the official label.
“I think when it comes down to it,” Tagovailoa said, “whether I go up to speak on behalf of me wanting to be a captain, or the team just voting and there are just candidates, I think it comes with my position to always be a leader. For me, I’ve always said I’m not the kind of person to get in front of people and scream and lead in that way. But I try to lead with my actions and try to lead in a way that helps our team get better. That’s by building relationships with the guys. It also helps when we’re able to compete in ping pong and cornhole and all of these other games that we have in there.”
Along with Tagovailoa, every player except Roberts is a first-time captain as a Dolphin.
“You’re seeing the representatives chosen by the players as to who are their leaders,” McDaniel said, “and that — to me — there’s nothing more important.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 11:25 AM.
