Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel on decision to exercise Tua’s option, backup QB plan
Asked what role recent concussions will play in the decision to exercise Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option, head coach Mike McDaniel said the organization is “factor[ing] in everything.”
The deadline to fully guarantee Tagovailoa’s fifth-year base salary at about $23 million is May 1 and McDaniel, speaking Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, said he, as well as general manager Chris Grier, continue to discuss their options.
“Like any other player, you factor in every variable,” McDaniel said. “When you’re talking about those types of decisions, I think it’s important to recognize we have a congruence of interests by the Dolphins and the player — Tua — that both parties really want him to play at a very high level for a long time for the Miami Dolphins.
“So, what’s the best way to really engineer that or help manifest that? Well, those are the things that we’re kind of weighing in terms of the various options with the same desired end as Tua would like. You factor in everything as best you can. But it’s part of the game that we’re all involved in, is there is some unknown. So, you weigh those and you press forward and make the best decision possible for the organization.”
Both McDaniel and Grier have committed to Tagovailoa as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback in 2023 after a breakout season in which he threw a career-high 25 touchdowns. However, Tagovailoa’s long-term future in Miami is still being questioned after a pair of diagnosed concussions that sidelined him for five games, including the Dolphins’ season-ending loss to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round.
Tagovalioa missed two games in October because of his first concussion and then was sidelined for the rest of the season after another sustained on Christmas Day. Grier said doctors have told him Tagovailoa, who was cleared from the league’s concussion protocol on Feb. 1, is not more prone to concussions than any other player.
If the Dolphins don’t exercise the fifth-year option, Tagovailoa would be slated to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023 season. Tagovailoa is also eligible for a long-term extension. At the team’s end-of-season news conference, Grier said “I think everything’s on the table for us” in regards to how the team addresses Tagovailoa’s contract.
“This is something that Chris and I have been working through and continue to work through,” McDaniel said.
In early February, Tagovailoa said he will be partaking in Judo weekly in the offseason “so I can figure out understanding my body and how to fall.” McDaniel said the idea was something that came out of discussions between Tagovailoa and the organization to try to avoid head injuries when he falls.
“We feel very comfortable in terms of this being able to best prepare him for things that he hasn’t otherwise been able to prepare for,” McDaniel said. “It’s something that, like a follow-through throwing motion, it’s something that we’re trying to train and he’s 100 percent all in attacking with vigor and exuberance.”
With Tagovailoa set to return as starting quarterback, the Dolphins will also have to find a capable backup for him. Veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who appeared in five games and made two starts, is an impending unrestricted free agent. Besides Tagovailoa, the only other quarterback on the active roster is Skylar Thompson, who appeared in eight games and made three starts, including the wild-card round game against the Bills.
Thompson, a seventh-round pick in the 2022 Draft, struggled at times, completing 52 percent of his passes with four touchdowns to five interceptions. McDaniel said Thompson “did a lot of things to deserve to be in competition” but added: “I don’t see that being unchallenged by any stretch.”
“When you look at the position from its entirety, a year ago we had a one-man room [with] a lot of questions with regard to where Tua was in the development of his game,” McDaniel said. “And we needed someone to come in that could really help him take a step in the right direction to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League at a high level. I think Teddy came and did that.
“As it stands right now, I was happy with what Skylar was able to do with the pretense that he’s going to continue to get better. I think Tua is in a different spot. I think the team’s in a different spot. And I think there’s some competitive advantages that we can bring to the room through free agency and that’s what we’ll look to do. There will be competition in the room, regardless of who we sign, but I think that’s something that we’re definitely interested in to make the quarterback room better.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2023 at 4:31 PM.
