Tua Tagovailoa did not make ESPN’s list of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL, but one personnel evaluator who took part in the survey called the Miami Dolphins star a “matchup nightmare” for opponents.
“I feel like everybody knows what he is: A good player with some limitations,” the veteran evaluator said of Tagovailoa. “He’s a matchup nightmare some weeks. He’s really good when he’s in rhythm and gets the ball out in time. He can be hard to beat when he’s throwing with touch and anticipation.”
The 26-year-old wound up in the honorable mentions category of the survey, which was topped by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at No. 1 and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 2.
In fact, seven of the top eight quarterbacks are from teams in the AFC, including two from the AFC East: Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills at No. 3 and Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets at No. 8.
Dolphins teammate Tyreek Hill has his quarterback ranked much higher than the ESPN list does, with the wide receiver naming Tagovailoa among his top five quarterbacks in the NFL right now.
Last season, Tagovailoa was able to play in all 17 regular season games for the first time in his NFL career. It paid off as he led the NFL in passing yards. In addition, Hill was able to post a new career-high in receiving yards and tied for the league lead in touchdown catches.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the University of Alabama product remains in search of a lucrative contract extension from the Dolphins with the start of training camp approaching later this month.
Three other quarterbacks taken in that 2020 draft have already secured their own huge contract extensions: Burrow, Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers (No. 6 on the ESPN list) and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles (honorable mention). Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, also recently got a big new deal.
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins have been negotiating a new contract for quite some time, with a report from late June saying those talks are “complicated.”
Both sides undoubtedly would like to have the contract issue resolved before the season starts so they can focus on getting the Dolphins back to the playoffs for a third season in a row and win a postseason game for the first time in more than 20 years.
