There is no doubt that Tua Tagovailoa has shown flashes of being a star at quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. His accuracy and ability to spread the ball around to multiple weapons have helped make Mike McDaniel’s offense one of the best in the National Football League.
But with an injury-riddled career and at times inconsistent play, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay says the Dolphins’ QB could be at risk of getting benched.
In 11 starts last season, Tagovailoa passed for 2,867 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The Dolphins had a mediocre 6-5 record in those starts.
2023 was the only year that the Dolphins’ QB completed a full season since his sophomore year at Alabama in 2018.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa walks onto the field prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium.
Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Kay proposed a scenario where Tagovailoa is traded, freeing up millions in cap space for the team.
“While Tagovailoa is under contract through the 2028 season, there are ways for the Dolphins to get out from under the deal. Trading him this season would only result in an $8.4 million dead-cap hit while freeing up nearly $31 million in cap room,” Kay wrote.
Tagovailoa has proved to be a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL, so his replacement would have to provide a better or comparable level of play than they are getting from Tagovailoa at the time.
That means 25-year-old free agent signee Zach Wilson or rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers would have to step up. That is asking a lot out of one player who was a second overall pick four years ago, and is now widely considered to be a bust, and an unproven late draft pick.
