The Phinsider
Where do the Dolphins land with the expectation of a returning Tua Tagovailoa?
As the Miami Dolphins prepare to get Tua Tagovailoa back into the fold and under center, it’s hard not to look back and see what this team is without its starting quarterback.
In a world where the Minnesota Vikings are a top-ten team across the board with Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback, Miami has failed to put together a viable backup plan when Tagovailoa goes down.
They’re now in a “ Tua or bust” category, and just last year, the prevailing thought was that it was the other way around. He was referred to as a “Tyreek Hill, or Mike McDaniel merchant,” or that he gets carried by the weapons and play-calling.
We now know it couldn’t be further from the truth, and there are multiple levels between the Tagovailoa-led Dolphins and the Tagovailo-less Dolphins. Luckily for Miami, their star quarterback is officially back.
With the Dolphins coming off a 16-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the return of Tua Tagovailoa has given Miami some push in the rankings:
“There is hope that Tua Tagovailoa — who’s been out since suffering a scary concussion in Week 2 — could play this week against the Cardinals. It’s good timing, considering Tyler Huntley left Sunday’s loss to the Colts with an injury to his throwing shoulder. Tua’s return theoretically could give the 2-4 Dolphins a chance to climb back into the race after losing four of five games in his absence. Only Denver and Cincinnati are ahead of them in the AFC wild-card chase right now, early as it is, so no one should close that door. Will Tagovailoa face any rust? And can he get the Dolphins’ best playmakers back into the gameplan? Tyreek Hill wasn’t targeted for the first half on Sunday and caught his only pass with less than two minutes left. Jaylen Waddle wasn’t targeted until the fourth quarter, also catching one short pass. That’s pretty much inexcusable, no matter who the quarterbacks are.”
“The Dolphins showed how much they valued Wright’s skill set when they traded a future third-round pick to draft him in the fourth round in April. He impressed throughout training camp and shined in his first real opportunity of the season — 86 yards on 13 carries in Miami’s Week 5 win over the Patriots. With the talent and depth in the Dolphins’ backfield, Wright isn’t likely to turn in a rookie season like De’Von Achane’s in 2023. But Wright could form a potent young tandem with Achane next season if he continues to produce.” — Marcel Louis-Jacques
“They can’t generate any offense. The good news is they might be getting Tua Tagovailoa back soon.”
