Miami Dolphins star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa put together an unremarkable performance in the team’s loss against the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 11.
He finished with 240 passing yards and zero passing touchdowns in a game the Dolphins lost by one point to fall to 9-4 on the season.
The Dolphins held a commanding 14-point lead with under three minutes to go in the game but lost after the Titans rattled off 15 quick points.
Tagovailoa has certainly come a long way in his NFL career, but a couple of individuals reportedly have mixed feelings on him based on some comments made during the current campaign.
“I think he is a 2 now,” someone told The Athletic regarding what tier Tagovailoa belongs in after facing him. “His vision is ridiculous. He is not overly talented. He can’t move. But he can throw it so early into holes nobody else will, so that he gets more than what his talent allows because of his mental capacity. I like him. He is as accurate as anybody in the NFL. But if they did not have those two receivers, he cannot carry the offense.”
Another person expressed hesitancy that the quarterback would be as productive if he were on another team besides the Dolphins.
“The system is good and he is getting the ball out, but to me, part of being a 2 is being transferrable,” the individual said of Tagovailoa. “Can I pick him up and drop him onto another contender? I don’t know if that is the case.”
The 25-year-old quarterback has put up gaudy numbers in his fourth season as a member of the Dolphins franchise. In 13 starts with the team so far this season, he has racked up a league-high 3,697 passing yards to go along with 24 passing touchdowns and 175 first downs passing. Tagovailoa is averaging 284.4 passing yards per game.
But in Miami’s recent loss to the Titans, he was arguably outplayed by Tennessee quarterback Will Lewis. The rookie — who was selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft — ended up with 327 passing yards and one passing touchdown compared to one interception against Miami.
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins will try to avoid picking up their second loss in a row when they take on the New York Jets at home on Dec. 17. The Jets own a subpar 5-8 record right now but recently earned an impressive 24-point victory over the 7-6 Houston Texans on Dec. 10.
After playing the Jets, Miami will have its final three regular season games against the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills.
It’s understandable why some folks have mixed feelings about Tagovailoa. After all, he had one of his worst games of the season against the Titans. But one game doesn’t change the fact that he has been one of the most productive players at his position in the NFL so far this season.
