Miami Dolphins Are Taking Thier Time With Tua

Miami Dolphins fans would rather know the deal with their new quarterback sooner rather than later. There hasn’t been this much hype on a quarterback since the days of Dan Marino. Maybe there’s been expectations, but never this kind of excitement. So when news comes out of Florida that their new QB has had an uneventful training camp, some are already hitting the panic button.

Relax, dear fans. Tua’s time is coming.

The Dolphins have many reasons to take their time with Tua Tagovailoa. First and foremost, he hasn’t taken a hit since his surgically repaired hip injury. He might have the strength and mobility to run, participate in drills, and go 100% but taking hits is a different story. It might look and feel ready to go, but anyone with an injury can tell stories about feeling fine and trying to go too hard too soon.

Secondly, right now this is Ryan Fitzpatrick’s offense. The team hired Chan Gailey in the offseason to handle coordinator duties for Miami. While he might be an upgrade from their OC last year, he’s also proven to have success with Fitzpatrick under center. While he might be able to pass on plenty of knowledge to the young rookie, he buys Miami enough time to be competitive while Tua develops.

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If they’re truly developing for the future, it shouldn’t matter. However, the Dolphins might be developing their young stars, but they’ll need veterans to come in to hold their place much like they’re doing with Tua.

Furthermore, Miami has no reason to take the training wheels off, so to speak. He can make the throws, but rewind to last season’s competition between Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Both quarterbacks had good camps, had their opportunity to start, but ultimately it came down to Fitzpatrick having more command and leadership to edge out Rose. Tua might have the leadership and likeability but he’ll need to command the offense.

He might be the best pick the Miami Dolphins have spent in years, but they’re finally in a position to take their time. With Fitzpatrick in house and even Rosen, they’ll be able to make sure he’s 100% ready to go on more than one front. He’s ready to go in health and performance. Without real NFL experience, Miami doesn’t want to put him in just to destroy him mentally.

He’s a tough kid and too many good QBs are ruined by jumping in too soon. The Dolphins have the luxury of waiting for a change and they should take it. If they start slow with him, they can rely on Fitz and a strong defense to keep them competitive. Hopefully, they can get fired up and out to a big lead to get Tua in. Maybe they’ll even throw in some gadget plays to get his feet wet.

To make a long story short, the Dolphins gain nothing by rushing Tua out on to the field. Starting slow is the smart play for the young rookie.