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Friday, December 22, 2023

Former Dolphins Executive Mike Tannenbaum Thinks Tua Tagovailoa Could Be Replaced by Halloween

Tua Tagovailoa suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the college football season, giving Alabama Crimson Tide sophomore Jalen Hurts his chance to shine. However, Tannenbaum believes that history will repeat itself if/when he gets hurt again and faces off against another dominant quarterback.

The “tua tagovailoa” is a football player who could be replaced by Halloween. tua tagovailoa is the quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide and he is expected to play in the College Football Playoff Championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

It seems like Tua Tagovailoa, the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, just needs to plug and play, but what if he can’t? The Dolphins have provided him with a plethora of weapons this summer, including superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Could this plethora of offensive weapons, on the other hand, create a high-pressure environment for the soon-to-be third-year quarterback?

Mike Tannenbaum, Miami’s former vice president of football operations, believes this is the case, and he doesn’t think Tua has much wiggle space.

Tua Tagovailoa, according to Mike Tannenbaum, might be replaced by Halloween.

Mike Tannenbaum, Miami Dolphins

Mike Tannenbaum, Miami Dolphins Mike Tannenbaum, Executive Vice President of Football Operations, speaks to the media before presenting Dan Campbell as the Miami Dolphins’ interim head coach on October 5, 2015 | Getty Images/Joel Auerbach

Tannenbaum wasn’t suggesting Tagovailoa couldn’t do the job. More importantly, he feels the addition quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the squad provides incoming head coach Mike McDaniel with an easy option if Tua fails early in the season.

The Dolphins didn’t trade for Hill, sign Cedrick Wilson, and add them to a wide receiver depth chart that already had Jaylen Waddle and De’Vante Parker merely to have another season without a playoff berth.

This was Miami putting its chips closer to the middle of the table in the hopes of making a run, particularly now that the New England Patriots aren’t a given to win the AFC East.

So it’s understandable that Tannenbaum, who is familiar with the company and its owner Stephen Ross, believes Tagovailoa will be kept on a tight leash.

“If there are any hiccups along the road, [you might see] Teddy Bridgewater taking over for Tua by Halloween,” he added, according to The Miami Herald.

Tua is gearing up for a high-pressure season in 2022.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa (#1) walks off the field after their game against the Los Angeles Rams | Mark Brown/Getty Images

Tua is getting his finest chance to become a franchise quarterback with the Dolphins.

If the Green Bay Packers have the NFL’s worst wide receiver depth chart after dealing Davante Adams, the Miami Dolphins have probably the finest after acquiring Hill.

Last year’s draft saw Miami choose Jaylen Waddle with the sixth overall choice, and he rewarded them with 104 receptions for 1,015 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. He’ll be one of the top wide receivers in football if he improves in his second season.

We already know Hill belongs in the pantheon of the NFL’s top wide receivers, and finding better depth receivers than Parker and Wilson will be difficult. Wilson piled up 602 yards and six touchdowns despite being the Dallas Cowboys’ fourth receiver last season.

Because it will be difficult to double-team anybody on Miami’s depth chart, it’s simple to visualize what all of these receivers can accomplish for each other on the field.

With that considered, even Hill will struggle to impress in 2022 if Tua can’t get him the ball or execute the offense efficiently, which is still an unanswered issue in Miami.

Injuries limited Tagovailoa to only 13 games in 2021, and although he passed for 2,653 yards and 16 touchdowns, quarterback also tossed 10 interceptions.

The most revealing aspect of Tua’s season, apart from his ordinary statistical production, was that Miami seemed to spend half of it attempting to get Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans.

The Dolphins didn’t seem to believe in him. 

Perhaps they will now that he has such a strong receiving corps, but the pressure will be on.

“I’m not sure who else Tua would be in ahead of in the AFC maybe Davis Mills and Mitch Trubisky,” Tannenbaum added. “Tua has missed a total of ten games.” His performance has been mediocre at best. He can’t see the center of the field and can’t reliably get the ball downfield.

“He has no excuses with [Jaylen] Waddle and Hill. He is under more pressure than any other quarterback in the NFL, yet Bridgewater is a very talented quarterback. Given all Tua has to deal with, it’s not crazy to imagine he’ll be playing by midseason… sooner rather than later if Tua meets any roadblocks.”

Will Tagovailoa be able to get the ball to his big-play receivers?

Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa The Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa reacts during their game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium | Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Tua’s yards per pass attempt from last season, which ranked 23rd worst in the league, was a huge source of worry for Tannenbaum. With just 204.1 yards passed per game, he was also 29th.

For the purpose of comparison, Hill is compared to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who finished seventh in the NFL with 284.6 yards per game.

“He has a hard time consistently moving the ball down the field,” Tannenbaum said of Tua.

“Coach [Mike] McDaniel will most likely attempt to shift the pocket, cut the field in half, and have a bunch of catch-and-run plays for Waddle and Hill that play to Tua’s strength and try to maximize Tua’s abilities that way,” he stated. 

“There are no more justifications.” They’re providing him with everything a quarterback could want and more.”

Teddy Bridgewater isn’t Dan Marino, but if Tua can’t get the ball to his superstar wide receiver and regularly create huge plays in 2022, Hill, Waddle, Parker, and Wilson could be able to help Bridgewater revert to a period when explosive attacks were the norm in southern Florida. 

ESPN and Pro Football Reference provided the statistics. Spotrac provides contract information.

The Miami Dolphins treated Tua Tagovailoa with reckless abandon, and now they will pay the price for their misguided pursuit of Deshaun Watson. 

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