Dolphins’ Tagovailoa, Bengals’ Burrow and the ‘rush to judgment’ for NFL quarterbacks
The final score — Miami Dolphins 38, Cincinnati Bengals 35 — was insignificant to the 2019 season for both teams. However, the Week 16 result couldn’t have been more momentous, setting off a domino effect that continues to play out in real time for the franchises.
Miami’s three-point win in overtime clinched the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 Draft for Cincinnati, which the team used on LSU’s Joe Burrow. Meanwhile, the Dolphins used the No. 5 overall pick to select Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, whose potential sparked an entire “Tank for Tua” campaign for a segment of the Miami fan base.
When the Dolphins (3-0) play the Bengals (1-2) at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Thursday night, it will mark the first NFL meeting between the third-year quarterbacks who have taken unique journeys in their first few seasons.
Comparisons have been inevitable between not only Tagovailoa and Burrow but Justin Herbert, who was selected one pick after Tagovalioa by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Neither Tagovailoa nor Burrow as rookies saw success immediately. Burrow, taking the reins of a Bengals team that finished 2-14 in 2019, began his career winning just two of his first nine starts before a torn ACL and MCL prematurely ended his 2020 season. His debut — 13 passing touchdowns in 10 games — was still enough for executives and coaches to anoint him as one of the league’s up-and-coming signal-callers.
Tagovailoa, still recovering from a severe hip injury that ended his junior season in college, was thrust into the starting role in Week 8 but would be benched multiple times by then-coach Brian Flores amid midgame struggles. Looking back on it, former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick acknowledged it was a difficult situation for Tagovailoa.
“That was kind of an admission by coach Flores that there were certain aspects of his game that weren’t ready yet,” said Fitzpatrick, who will provide commentary of Thursday’s game as an analyst on Prime Video. “He was young in terms of the two-minute drill and being able to do some of that stuff efficiently. But he’s so talented that it was time to get him on the field and get him to learn. I thought he did a great job with that year because that wasn’t easy, showing up to work every day, having a smile on his face. And after I left, there were some things that got even rockier with that relationship.”
The Dolphins moved forward with Tagovailoa as their starter in 2021 and attempted to build a scheme around him, but offensive line struggles and injuries across the unit — Tagovalioa, included — stifled early optimism. Internally, the Dolphins strongly pursued a trade for Deshaun Watson, and Tagovailoa faced weekly questions about his standing with the franchise. He helped contribute to a turnaround from 1-7 that was mainly engineered by the defense, but the front office still decided to part ways with Flores, who had a frosty relationship with Tagovailoa.
While Tagovailoa struggled to gain his footing, his counterpart Burrow was having a season that cemented his standing as one of the league’s best young quarterbacks. Paired with wideout Ja’Marr Chase, the fifth pick in the 2021 Draft and Burrow’s former LSU teammate, he led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance in more than three decades, coming up short in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Tagovailoa entered his third season with a new coach in Mike McDaniel, an upgraded supporting cast and another scheme to accentuate his skill set, while Burrow’s Bengals were seen as one of the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. But Cincinnati has been of the league’s biggest disappointments through three games, sputtering to a 1-2 start despite a revamped offensive line.
The Dolphins emerged as one of the biggest surprises, one of two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL. Tagovailoa’s encouraging play has turned many national pundits from skeptics to believers as Miami has established itself as a contender in the AFC.
Fitzpatrick said he hopes Tagovailoa’s ascension is a “pump-the-brakes moment” for an NFL world that often quickly deems quarterbacks as busts or stars, especially as they acclimate to a new offense and environment.
“The rush to judgment is always going to be there. ... Part of being successful as a young quarterback is having a nice base around you,” he said. “If you go into a team that has a good running game that has a good defense, all of a sudden your job as a quarterback becomes a lot easier.”
Fitzpatrick attributed Tagovailoa’s success not only to McDaniel’s scheme but to the confidence being instilled in him. Teammates and coaches have also praised Tagovailoa’s growth as a leader. He gathered pass-catchers together before OTAs started in spring and part of his game-week preparation has included meeting with skill position players to fine-tune the timing of plays.
Fitzpatrick said the next step for Tagovailoa to be considered one of the league’s upper-echelon quarterbacks is consistency, but he thinks the team has found the right pairing with McDaniel. As the Dolphins look to continue their hot start to the season, many of Tagovailoa’s teammates have enjoyed watching the manifestation of his potential up close.
“Someone was saying this on the sideline, like Tua is growing up in front of everybody’s eyes,” inside linebacker Duke Riley said. “... It’s a beautiful process to see. I knew in OTAs, watching Tua, I knew that with the offensive personnel and everything that we brought in with Mike as the head coach, I knew that it was going to be a great thing and a great change for Tua because sometimes change is better and it can benefit and help.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 4:29 PM.
