Miami Dolphins: Will Tua's Return Get The Team Back On Track?

After a scary injury on Thursday Night Football, you can expect cheer from the crowd as Tua Tagovailoa takes the field for the Miami Dolphins on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. What could have been a bad situation for the third-year quarterback turned into a few games missed. But that’s where the cheering could end. The Dolphins have lost three straight and need a spark to get them back on track. Will Tua be the guy he was before the injury?

The Miami Dolphins seem to think so. All week long we’ve heard reports on how the energy seems to be back in the building now that Tua is back at practice. The first three weeks of the season proved how good the Dolphins could be with Tua, then the next 3 proved how bad they are without him. The most important part of the offense returns in chemistry between Tagovailoa and his WRs. Let’s not forget, at least in the media, that Mike McDaniel was said to be brought in because he thought he could win with Tua. This means the offense was designed with his success in mind.

That’s not to say McDaniel isn’t smart enough to tweak an offense to fit the skill sets of his other quarterbacks. However, your starting QB, with your starting WR, and your starting RBs should do better than your backups. When healthy, Tua Tagovailoa had the second-most passing yards in the NFL. Before he got injured in the game against the Bengals, the offense was moving at a rapid pace. Miami was marching down the field with ease the same way they were able to claw back against the Ravens and outlast the Bills

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With all that being said, it’s not just Tua that needs to come back healthy. The injury bug has hit the Dolphins’ roster and hit it hard. The offensive line isn’t at 100%. Their cornerback unit has been depleted. Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek have shown up on the injury report. Miami has the benefit of the strength of schedule ahead, but that’s not an indicator of success. Tua can be the spark Miami needs but they’ll continue to struggle without getting healthy.

Even when they were healthy, it was a close victory against the Buffalo Bills. They needed one hell of a comeback against the Ravens. Miami has struggled so far this year with and without Tua Tagovailoa. His return could make things a little smoother, but won’t guarantee this team gets back on track.