Miami Dolphins commit to Tua Tagovailoa as their 2021 quarterback. What that means | Opinion
Brian Flores and Chris Grier have made their decision. The Miami Dolphins coach and general manager are committing to Tua Tagovailoa as their quarterback in 2021.
“Tua we’re very happy with,” Grier told reporters Tuesday. “He’s our starting quarterback. He did a nice job this year coming in as a rookie with no offseason and the challenges of dealing with all that.
“We’re very happy with that and looking forward to watching him progress here over the next offseason and going into next year.”
Because this a club decision about its starting quarterback it means everything. This kind of decision, unlike a decision on a starting linebacker or some other positions, has repercussions up and down the roster and throughout the organization.
It means there is no pivot.
No divorce.
No Plan B.
It means no selection of another quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft next April.
That’s important news.
It also means the work the Dolphins did before the 2020 draft that ultimately led them to draft Tagovailoa No. 5 overall — while passing on potential offensive rookie of the year Justin Herbert — is not being discarded.
The Dolphins still believe in that work. Their work. Because they continue to believe in Tagovailoa.
The same cannot be said of everyone in the quarterback room because the Dolphins on Tuesday did not commit to bringing back backup and sometimes starter Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Both Grier and Flores spoke of needing to create competition and bring in another quarterback but when the question was about Fitzpatrick specifically, they said more conversations and decisions have to be made.
And then Grier added this point for emphasis: “We want to be clear that Tua’s our starter,” he said. “And we’re very happy with his development so far.”
So it’s clear this past season, during which Tagovailoa struggled so much at times he was benched twice, and had his worst game in the season-finale, did not alter Miami’s belief in him.
Flores and Grier tied themselves to the Tagovailoa selection last year. And they’re declining to loose that bond now when they have the opportunity — probably their last opportunity — to go in another direction without major consequences.
A team sticking with the quarterback it drafted to be the face of the franchise only one year ago is not ordinarily news. It’s usually assumed.
But the truth is the Dolphins gave some strong hints they were not completely sold on Tagovailoa at times during the 2020 season. There was the first benching at Denver, and the second at Las Vegas. There was the play-calling by offensive coordinator Chan Gailey that suggested he didn’t trust Tagovailoa running the entire offense.
It seemed the Dolphins were showing some buyer’s remorse with their young quarterback.
But on Tuesday they showed they’re totally bought in.
The Dolphins are saying they have confidence Tagovailoa can be developed. And they’re confident he can improve and be a top tier quarterback.
They’re also making it very clear they will craft a plan to make it easier for him to reach his ceiling. That’s good, by the way, because the Dolphins are in a division where Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is nearing his ceiling and there’s no way to overcome that without having a quarterback whose play reaches just as high a mark.
Firstly, the Dolphins plan to improve their offense.
They blew their acquisition of running backs last year by adding Jordan Howard and Matt Breida as their signature moves. But it’s no secret the team plans to address the running back room again this offseason.
And, yes, a good running game helps make a quarterback more successful. John Elway, you’ll recall, was a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback most of his career. But he didn’t win consecutive Super Bowls until Terrell Davis joined the Denver Broncos.
The Dolphins will also do much serious work to improve the wide receiver room. Because as currently constructed, Miami’s wide receivers simply are not good enough. And it was worse when receivers with an injury history predictably got injured late in the season.
So the Dolphins might use some of the $26 million to $32 million in salary cap space they have for 2021 on a veteran wide receiver. But the team is more likely to try finding a receiver through the draft.
Louisiana State’s Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama’s DeVonata Smith are obvious candidates, with Chase being a legitimate choice for Miami with their No. 3 overall selection.
Both those men are premier college receivers. Both project as accomplished NFL players.
Either can help Tagovailoa be better once they get adjusted to the NFL game.
And here’s a suggestion to the Dolphins: Do all of the above.
Since they’re going all-in on Tagovailoa, then go all-in on helping him. Surround him with both a superior veteran receiver from free agency and a great prospect from the draft.
The rookie receiver, you see, might take a minute to process the NFL game and learn all the tricks of running routes against professional defensive backs.
So it would be wise to also add the veteran as a plug-and-play option to help Tagovailoa and the offense immediately — even as the rookie pass-catcher is growing into being a star.
The Dolphins are obviously convinced they’re making the right move in committing to Tagovailoa.
Let me be transparent: There are accomplished coaches and personnel people around the league who have watched Tagovailoa play and don’t think it wise to have that commitment. But those people don’t have a say in Dolphins matters.
They might not see what the Dolphins see in Tagovailoa’s leadership behind the scenes. They don’t see how Tagovailoa works in practices, how he handles himself in meetings and how he prepares on his own.
Brian Flores and Chris Grier have seen these things and they’re convinced they have a championship quarterback. Now their fate is tied to Tua Tagovailoa’s fate.
No pivot.
No divorce.
No Plan B.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 3:02 PM.
