Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa knows the importance of staying on the field this season after the team struggled in his absence last year.
The Dolphins went 2-4 without Tagovailoa, including a loss in the final game of the regular season. Overall, Miami finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time under head coach Mike McDaniel.
“Doing everything I can to stay available for the guys. Like I said before in the past, nothing changes with that. It’s knowing when is the time to give up on a play,” Tagovailoa said this week at the opening of Dolphins minicamp. “And I would say the longevity for me to be on the field with my guys is more important than whatever that one play is. You have more quarters than there would be within just that one play that I’m trying to show the guys that I’m competitive and whatnot, and I know they know that, but it’s just a nature — it’s a nature thing. It just comes natural to me to compete in that sense. And that’s just the thing I fight with every time.”
Tagovailoa’s durability has been a constant concern throughout his NFL career, but production is also a growing issue. After a career-best season in 2023 that earned him Pro Bowl honors, Tagovailoa regressed in 2024, going just 6-5 as a starter.
Those concerns and others for the Dolphins have carried over to the 2025 season.
Because of ongoing questions about Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ overall roster, projections for Miami entering 2025 have been troubling. That said, if the team finishes poorly enough, it could be in position to land a high draft pick. Would that open the door for a new quarterback?
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NFL Spin Zone’s Lou Scataglia believes it could. In a recent mock draft, Scataglia projected the Dolphins to select Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with the No. 7 overall pick.
“In the first eight picks of this mock draft, six QBs have gone off the board,” Scataglia wrote. “The Miami Dolphins might have to have a hard conversation with themselves if they’re picking inside the top 10; is Tua Tagovailoa really a franchise quarterback? Is this someone who they can absolutely win with?”
Allar is expected to be one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. In fact, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler said that had Allar declared for this year’s draft, he would have been taken ahead of most of the top quarterbacks. In what will be his senior season, if he can lead the Nittany Lions back to the College Football Playoff or better, he’ll once again be a top prospect — and the Dolphins could be in play.
Tagovailoa also noted during minicamp that he’s seen a “culture shift” within the team. He didn’t elaborate further, but the Dolphins could look — and play — very different this season. Whether that’s for better or worse remains to be seen. But for Tagovailoa, one thing is certain: he’ll need to lead the way, not just to keep the Dolphins competitive, but potentially to keep his job.
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