Miami Dolphins player says Tua Tagovailoa is ‘a little standoffish’

A new report suggests that a “disconnect” between Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his teammates exists and is negatively affecting the team.

Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel noted how Tagovailoa’s slow development thus far is due in part to the limited chemistry he’s established with members of the Dolphins.

“Part of the problem Tagovailoa has is there’s a disconnect between him and his teammates,” Kelly wrote.

“He’s ‘a little standoffish’ as one player put it.”

Tagovailoa was the fifth overall selection by the Dolphins in the 2020 NFL Draft and managed to start some games during his rookie campaign that year.

In some of those starts, Tagovailoa was replaced by Ryan Fitzpatrick in crucial fourth quarter situations.

Given his relative youth, that’s not surprising. However, Tagovailoa’s guarded approach in connecting with people isn’t what his teammates want to see going forward.

One aspect of Tagovailoa’s personality became evident last year when he appeared less than enthusiastic about making his case to become a Dolphins team captain.

Earning the status of captain on a team is one way for a player to present his leadership qualities. One of the suggested reasons why Tagovailoa wanted to avoid those duties is because it would have required more interaction with former head coach Brian Flores.

Tagovailoa and Flores had a player-coach relationship that occasionally hit some bumps, which can occur often on even the best teams.

As of right now, Tagovailoa and new head coach Mike McDaniel appear to be in sync, which may help the signal-caller’s true leadership skills finally emerge.

The truth is that Tagovailoa may never end up adopting the fiery approach of some great NFL quarterbacks. Yet, making a stronger effort to bond with his teammates is something that’s desperately needed and can pay dividends in the future.