Getty Tua Tagovailoa looks to pass.
Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys is entering the final year of his contract. The Miami Dolphins have a contract decision on Tua Tagovailoa, which has yet to be made.
With this scenario, Christopher Kline of FanSided put together five Prescott replacements the Cowboys should have an eye on for 2025. Of the five, Kline lists Tagovailoa as an option.
“I’m not sure Tagovailoa has earned his next contract, which threatens to vastly outweigh his on-field talent. Even so, he’s a definite starter — one of the 15 or 20 best QBs in the NFL, probably, which is enough to warrant an investment from the Cowboys. Tagovailoa operates with tremendous precision in the pocket. He doesn’t have elite arm strength, but the Alabama product thinks the game at a high level and executes intermediate throws as well as anyone.
“He’s a lateral move at best, probably a significant step back, but Tagovailoa has at least proven that he can lead a suitably talented offense to the playoffs. Dallas isn’t short on playmaking weapons, so long as CeeDee Lamb sticks around. Tagovailoa wouldn’t be the ideal 2025 starter, but as far as Prescott replacements go, Dallas could do much worse.”
Dolphins Are the ‘Dream Destination’ for Prescott
Despite staying healthy all season, questions are still at an all-time high for Tagovailoa. The Miami Dolphins struggled against playoff teams, going just 1-5 against teams that made the playoffs in 2023.
Not only did they go 1-5 against playoff teams, but they also had a -91 point differential in those games.
They averaged just 17.7 points per game against playoff teams, compared to 37.1 against non-playoff teams.
In an effort to fix that, Prescott could be the solution in Mike McDaniel’s offense, writes Kline. According to Kline, the Dolphins would be the “dream destination” for the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.
“If the Cowboys let Dak Prescott hit free agency, the dream destination — at least from an entertainment standpoint — is the Miami Dolphins. Imagine Prescott in Mike McDaniel’s system, with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at his disposal. Miami has not inked Tua Tagovailoa to an extension, leaving him in the same bind as Prescott.
“That said, the Dolphins’ confidence in Tagovailoa is probably not equal to the Cowboys’ confidence in Prescott. If Miami has a chance to meaningfully upgrade its starting quarterback, now is the time. The Dolphins’ title window won’t stay open in perpetuity.”
How Tagovailoa Would Help the Cowboys
The Miami Dolphins scored the third most point in the NFL, scoring 27.9 points per game. The Dallas Cowboys led the league in points with 30.1 per game and Prescott was a large part to that. Tagovailoa was also a big factor in the Dolphins offense being as potent as it was.
Prescott had similar numbers to Tagovailoa, throwing for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
Tagovailoa showed in 2023 that when he’s healthy, he can put up impressive stats, evident by his league leading passing yards.
The Cowboys and Dolphins are in similar quarterback situations as in they both have a decision to make. Both have played well, but the front offices have to figure out if they’re the right person to lead the team.