Former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III came to the defense of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after he wasn’t among the top 10 quarterbacks ranked by league executives, coaches and scouts in a recent poll.
ESPN polled NFL executives, coaches and scouts to rank the league’s top 10 players at 11 different positions. Tagovailoa did not finish in the top 10 for the quarterback position, instead finishing in the honorable mention category.
Griffin called Tagovailoa and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy — who also landed in the honorable mention section — the “biggest snubs” of the top 10.
“Tua, to not have him on this list, is not only disingenuous but it’s disrespectful,” Griffin said. “It’s a spit in the face. He’s been a top-five quarterback the past two years. [This poll seems] truly based on what you think a quarterback can do, not based on what these two men have put on the field.”
The Dolphins quarterback is coming off arguably the best season of his NFL career, as he led Miami to the playoffs and started every regular season and playoff game that the team participated in.
Tagovailoa threw for an NFL-best 4,624 yards last season, posting career-highs in completion percentage (69.3) and touchdown passes (29). Those numbers helped him earn the first Pro Bowl nod of his NFL career.
Despite that, Tagovailoa was ranked behind Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, C.J. Stroud, Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff and Dak Prescott in the poll.
Tagovailoa has put up some impressive numbers under head coach Mike McDaniel, leading the NFL in yards per pass attempt and yards per completion in the 2022 season despite dealing with multiple head injuries.
The former first-round pick was able to shake off some of the questions about his durability by staying healthy in the 2023 season, and subsequently, the Dolphins finished with an 11-6 record. While Miami did not win the AFC East (it lost in Week 18 to the Buffalo Bills to lose the division), it still made the playoffs for a second straight season.
Tagovailoa has yet to win a playoff game (he’s only played in one), and that could be a reason for why some league executives, coaches and scouts snubbed him. But he did earn some respect from some NFL figures who spoke to ESPN about the poll.
“I feel like everybody knows what he is: A good player with some limitations,” a veteran NFL personnel evaluator told ESPN 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.”
It’s nice to see that Griffin appreciates Tagovailoa’s skills as a player, and hopefully, the Dolphins quarterback can prove all of his doubters wrong when the 2024 season kicks off later this year.
