Not only are Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle expected to be two of Tua Tagovailoa’s top playmakers, but the Miami Dolphins’ wide receivers are also the quarterback’s biggest defenders.
During the last episode of Hill’s it needed to be said podcast featuring Waddle, Dolphins receivers discussed the improvements they’ve seen from Tagovailoa, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
When asked to compare Tagovailoa from the 2021 season, where he produced a 90.1 passer rating after completing 67.8 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,653 yards with 16 touchdowns in the 13 games he played, with the quarterback field that Miami saw during the offseason. Mike McDaniel’s new offense, Waddle, downplayed what Hill believes is a substantial difference.
“They know what Tua is really capable of,” said Hill, a three-time Pro Bowler whom the Dolphins traded a treasure chest of draft picks to acquire from the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason and gave him an extension. of contract averaging $30 million per year. season.
“That kid looks scary right now,” Waddle said of Tagovailoa, who helped him set an NFL record for most receptions (104) by a rookie last season. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Is he. He has been that guy since Alabama.
“He’s going to be consistently accurate, he’s going to make the shots he’s supposed to make, he’s going to show up and he’s going to be a leader. … I’ve been watching that,” said Waddle, who converted those 104 receptions for 1,015 yards and seven touchdowns last season. “I will be happier when everyone else can see what I already know.”
Tagovailoa, who has a 13-8 record as an NFL starter, joins Mac Jones, who went 10-7 as a rookie starter for the New England Patriots last season, as the only two NFL quarterbacks draft classes of 2019, 2020 and 2021. who are in possession of a winning record as an NFL starter.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who was selected after Tagovailoa in the 2020 draft, has a 15-17 regular season record.
Jalen Hurts is 9-10 since his time as the Philadelphia Eagles’ starter the past two seasons. But Hurts led the Eagles to the playoffs last season.
Jordan Love, a 2020 first-round pick, serves as backup to Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. He is 0-1 since his only start with the Packers.
Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, who was the first pick in the 2020 draft, owns a 12-13-1 record in the regular season. Burrow’s record is 15-14-1 when factoring in playoff games considering the Bengals advanced to the Super Bowl last season, where they lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
Even Arizona’s Kyler Murray, the first pick in the 2019 draft, has a 22-23-1 regular-season record with the Cardinals. Daniel Jones, the New York Giants’ starting quarterback, was also a first-round pick in that draft. He owns a 12-25 record in his game the last three seasons.
Dwayne Haskins, a 2019 first-round pick, was 3-10 before his untimely passing this spring. And Drew Lock owns an 8-13 record since his tenure with the Denver Broncos. He now competes with Geno Smith for the starting job in Seattle.
Most rookie quarterbacks in the 2021 draft: Trevor Lawrence (3-14) of Jacksonville, Zach Wilson (3-10) of the New York Jets, Trey Lance (1-1) of San Francisco, Justin Fields (2-8) of Chicago, struggled. last season. Jones was the only rookie starter to be successful.
“You know, in the NFL they only give you, like, two or three years to be a successful quarterback, especially if you’re a first-round pick,” Hill said. “And if you’re not successful after those years, then it’s kicking rocks, man. So basically they’re going to put Tua on it. So this is basically his last year, man, just to show people what he’s got.”
While it’s clear Tagovailoa’s third season could help determine if a quarterback is worth building, it may be premature to say this will be his last season to be evaluated as an NFL starter. Tagovailoa has already won more games than he has lost despite not having a great relationship with former head coach Brian Flores, and Miami has one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL over the past two seasons, an anemic running game. and a receiving unit decimated by injuries
This offseason, the Dolphins strengthened the offensive line by signing Pro Bowler Terron Armstead and veteran starter Connor Williams, changing the running scheme and adding three former starting running backs. Miami traded for Hill, used the franchise tag on Mike Gesicki and added Cedrick Wilson Jr. to its receiving unit.
The hope is that the groundwork has been laid for Tagovailoa to be successful and possibly lead the Dolphins to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.
“There are going to be a lot of people retracting what they said about [Tua]said Hill, who called Tagovailoa the most accurate quarterback he has ever played with in his first episode of It was necessary to say it. “I can’t really name the point, but I say reporters, analysts, Twitter trolls. All those people will take back what they said about [Tua]And I’ll just be sitting there, eating my popcorn.”
()
