There are going to be a lot of eyes on Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this season.
After a Pro Bowl campaign in 2023, expectations were sky-high for Tagovailoa last year. Instead, he missed six games due to another concussion followed by hip injuries, finishing with a 6-5 record in his 11 starts. Now, the pressure is on for the 27-year-old signal caller to prove himself in 2025.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay isn’t exactly optimistic. In fact, he believes Tagovailoa could find himself on the bench at some point this season.
“Those types of performances won’t cut it if the Dolphins are going to get back into the playoffs for the third time in four years with Tagovailoa at the helm,” Kay wrote.
If that happens, the Dolphins would likely turn to one of their offseason additions: former Jets quarterback Zach Wilson or rookie Quinn Ewers. The former Texas standout could already have an edge.
“Ewers could follow in Brock Purdy’s footsteps by taking over for an injury-prone and underwhelming veteran after being a late-Day 3 pick,” Kay added.
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Kay also speculated that Miami may go beyond simply benching Tagovailoa. A trade next offseason could be on the table — and financially manageable. Dealing him would leave the Dolphins with just an $8.4 million dead-cap hit while freeing up nearly $31 million in salary cap space.
Tagovailoa’s 2024 season left plenty of questions unanswered, and the skepticism isn’t limited to just one source. Fox Sports’ Henry McKenna echoed similar doubts about Tagovailoa’s future.
“It’s likely Tua won’t get better as a QB,” McKenna wrote. “He’ll simply stay at this plateau. At this juncture, the Dolphins are approaching a boiling point.”
Still, in what could be a pivotal year for the franchise, a bounce-back season from Tagovailoa that results in another playoff berth could silence plenty of critics.
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