Any rumors that the Miami Dolphins were ready to draft another top quarterback in April were shot down on Tuesday when Dolphins general manager Chris Grier indicated that the team is happy with Tua Tagovailoa.
Dolphins GM Chris Grier, “Tua, we’re very happy with. He’s our starting quarterback.” pic.twitter.com/1wtdaJnLaa
— Will Manso (@WillManso) January 5, 2021
“Tua, we’re very happy with,” Grier said. “He’s our starting quarterback. He did a nice job this year, coming in as a rookie with no offseason and the challenges of dealing with all that. Very happy with him and looking forward to watching him progress here over the offseason, going into next year.
“For us, not really talking about draft strategy or anything right now. The season just ended, and we’re just going through our process like we do all the time, and we’ll deal with that here in the future.”
Tagovailoa was selected with the fifth overall pick in last April’s draft and won six of his nine starts for the Dolphins.
However, there was some concern that the Dolphins didn’t possess enough confidence in Tagovailoa after he was replaced by veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick in multiple contests.
In addition, the number of standout quarterback prospects for the 2021 draft and concerns over the long-term health of Tagovailoa also raised speculation that the Dolphins would consider drafting another passer.
With two first-round picks this year, including the third overall choice, the Dolphins appear more likely to pursue either an offensive lineman or wide receiver to give Tagovailoa more talent on the offense.
Tagovailoa’s season didn’t end in storybook fashion, but it seems clear that the Dolphins are ready to watch him progress into the team’s franchise quarterback.
