Former Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa likely has this one opportunity with the Atlanta Falcons to show that he’s a starter in the NFL. After Miami cut him this offseason, the former first-round pick now faces a pivotal career crossroads.
Tagovailoa will have to compete with another former first-round pick, Michael Penix Jr., for the starting QB job. Despite Tagovailoa’s time with the Dolphins ending, the 28-year-old showed he can be an impact player in the league and on playoff teams.
During his time in Miami, Tagovailoa posted a passer rating of 96.4, totaling 18,166 yards, 120 touchdowns, and 59 interceptions across 78 games, per StatMuse. Nonetheless, now the former first-round pick looks to adjust to a new situation as he looks to get his career back on track.
Ahead of a crucial season for the former Dolphins signal-caller, he received a positive outlook from ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick, who believes Tagovailoa will win the Falcons’ QB battle.
“I personally think Tua should win this job, all things being equal,” Riddick said on the May 27 edition of “NFL Live.” “No disrespect to Michael Penix. Tua is a fantastic passer. If he can stay on the football field and they can play complementary football, I think he wins this job going away.“
Former Dolphins QB Has All the Traits to Win Competition
Moreover, Riddick noted that Tagovailoa’s future in the NFL isn’t because he can’t be a capable player and starter. He noted that the signal-caller needs to figure out a way to stay healthy.
“I think we know that the kind of things that held Tua back were not because he didn’t have the requisite skill or mental horsepower to get the job done,“ Riddick added.
“One, he couldn’t stay healthy on the football field. And two, the things around him, whether it be true complementary play-calling when he was down there in Miami, or there was a deficiency on the offensive line, or the wide receivers down in Miami were hurt and they weren’t all on the field at the same time.
“Those were the kind of things that really held him back. It wasn’t because you looked at Tua and thought, ‘Man, this guy doesn’t process well enough, he doesn’t move in the pocket well enough, he doesn’t have enough arm strength or accuracy.‘ He has all that. It’s just that it didn’t come together for him.”
Tua Tagovailoa Talks About Adjusting to Life in Atlanta
With the former Dolphins QB looking for a fresh start, he spoke to the media on May 27 about adjusting to life in Atlanta after leaving Miami.
“I think the first thing is being able to get the foundation down with the players, getting to know everyone in that sense,“ Tagovailoa told reporters. “Outside of that, it’s being able to hone in on the playbook.
“Being able to know why we’re running things, know why we’re calling a certain play and why we want to run it. So I think getting my bearings in that sense has been the adjustment so far coming into this organization.”
Ex-Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa Gets Strong Backing in Falcons QB Battle