Tua Tagovailoa’s Make-or-Break Year: Can the Dolphins Still Count on Their Starting QB?
Tua Tagovailoa has been through so much already throughout his entire football career. The 2018 National Championship is where it all started. Tagovailoa was serving his college time as the backup for Jalen Hurts, who led Alabama to a National Championship meeting with Georgia. Hurts struggled through the contest, throwing for just 21 yards in the first half. Tua stepped in, throwing for three touchdowns in a 26-23 comeback win to earn the Crimson Tide the title… as a freshman. From there, Tagovailoa became a star.
The fifth overall pick from the 2020 draft has had his share of injuries, from a hip replacement to several concussions; his time off the field hasn’t been a secret. What if Tagovailoa just stayed healthy? That was the case in 2023, when the lefty led the NFL in passing yards with 4,624, while also throwing 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The season Tua put together was one of the best in the franchise since the Dan Marino days, but nothing came from it after the Dolphins were quickly eliminated by the Chiefs. In 2024, Tua’s inconsistency struck yet again, as he went down for several games.
The Dolphins desperately missed their starting QB, going 2-4 without him and 6-5 with him. While being off the field for a good chunk of the season, top receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle had the worst years of their careers due to inconsistent quarterback play. Tua’s fourth concussion of his five-year career raised concern from everywhere. Many people called for the Dolphins’ QB to retire, saying his health and family security should be prioritized over his football career. In 2023, Tagovailoa had considered retirement, saying, “It would be hard for me to walk away from this game with how old I am and with my son.” Tua wants his son to watch him play football, but will it be with the Dolphins? Only time will tell.
Now entering 2025, Tagovailoa’s security with the Dolphins should be at risk. Over the last five seasons, the Dolphins have had to scramble to find replacements for Tua, who dealt with several different injuries, missing 16 total games. After his successful 2023 campaign, the Dolphins jumped the gun by offering up a four-year, $212.4 million deal, making him the third-highest-paid QB at the time. However, for the first time in Tagovailoa’s career, the Dolphins have signed viable backup options to step in when necessary.
Zach Wilson, the second overall pick in 2021, has yet to break out as a player, but now has the opportunity in such an explosive offense. Along with Wilson, the Dolphins also drafted former Texas Longhorn Quinn Ewers with their seventh-round pick. During his time in college, Ewers was one of the best in the nation, throwing for 9,128 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions over 36 career college games. With backup security, Miami is now fully prepared for the event in which their franchise QB goes down, but that’s also the last thing they want happening.
Tagovailoa is making $53 million a year, a big commitment for the Dolphins to make to a player who struggles to stay on the field. We’ve seen what Tua has to offer; he can lead the Dolphins to the playoffs, but he has yet to make the leap that results in a playoff win. The thing about the Dolphins is their struggle to commit to a path. Whether it’s entering a full-on rebuild or adding missing pieces to the puzzle, Miami needs to stick to a side. If 2025 again goes south for Miami, the Dolphins may need to push the red button and restart their attempt at success in the NFL.
