In Adam Gase’s ideal world, a hypothetical universe where everything aligned for him perfectly before the 2018 season, the Miami Dolphins would have found a way to get atop that draft to select Baker Mayfield.
Gase and Mayfield were kindred spirits, and if the Dolphins’ former coach was going to move on from Ryan Tannehill, it would have been for the Heisman Trophy winner, a four-year starter with a 29-30 record — whom the Cleveland Browns can’t pay another NFL team enough to take off their hands a week before the 2022 NFL draft.
Gase believed in Baker that much.
More than Sam Darnold, who struggled with Gase as his Jets coach for two seasons.
Or Lamar Jackson, an MVP winner who Dolphins owner Steve Ross suggested Miami select in the first round of that draft when Miami’s decision-makers debated a trade-down proposal they eventually declined, preferring to select safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
More than Josh Rosen, who the Dolphins foolishly traded for in 2019 and then waived the next offseason. And Buffalo’s Josh Allen, who has evolved into one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks in four seasons.
All five of those quarterbacks were first-round picks in that heralded 2018 quarterback class, and it’s Jackson and Allen — the last two selected — who are the gems.
That illustrates the challenge of evaluating quarterbacks for professional football. No matter who you are, what role you have, you’re ultimately just guessing. Crossing your fingers and hoping it works.
Even when a team, general manager and coach are in love with a player, it doesn’t guarantee success or that he’ll be a franchise quarterback.
The universe must align to deliver that, and all you can do as a GM and coaching staff is lay the foundation for that quarterback to thrive.
That’s where the Dolphins failed Tua Tagovailoa in his first two seasons, and seems to be what they’ve labored to fix this offseason.
“I have no comment towards that,” Tagovailoa said Wednesday when asked about Brian Flores’ firing at the conclusion of a 9-8 2021 season.
When pressed about his frosty relationship with his former head coach, Tagovailoa backed up from the podium and said: “Big question.”
Then he stated the best thing he could say about his former boss: “I’ll tell you this. I’m very thankful that he drafted me to come here to play for the Miami Dolphins. That’s what I would say.”
That says a lot.
So do the moves Miami made this offseason to improve the offense.
Miami intentionally hired an offensive-minded head coach who believes in Tagovailoa, who is 13-8 as an NFL starter. Anyone who didn’t wasn’t part of the interview process.
Mike McDaniel intends on building a running game to balanced out the offense, which suits what Tagovailoa needs to thrive.
The Dolphins signed a Pro Bowl left tackle in Terron Armstead, and added Connor Williams, a 51-game starter for the Dallas Cowboys, to fortify an offensive line that’s been a disappointment the previous three seasons.
And the addition of receivers Tyreek Hill and Cedrick Wilson, tailbacks Chase Edmond and Raheem Mostert, and the retention of tight ends Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe, should help Tagovailoa produce a more potent offense because it infused a ton of speed onto the roster.
“We want to YAC the heck out of teams,” Tagovailoa said, referring to yards-after-catch production.
Tagovailoa is focused on learning his sixth offense, and becoming a better leader to ensure that the Dolphins keep the wins coming, despite Flores’ removal.
His goal for 2022 is simple, it’s to ”help our team win games, and as many games as we can.”
It should be to lead the Dolphins to the playoffs, to be healthy for an entire NFL seasons, and to become one of the NFL’s top-15 rated quarterbacks.
That means Tagovailoa, who had a 90.1 passer rating (ranked 19th last season) is among the top half of NFL starters in Year 3.
Hell, his backup Teddy Bridgewater, was the 12th-highest-rated quarterback after producing a 94.9 passer rating last season as the Denver Broncos starter.
Leading the Dolphins to the playoffs and becoming one of the league’s top-rated passers would be the best way to silence his critics, ensuring that Miami doesn’t follow Mayfield, Darnold and Rosen’s path, and prove that the Dolphins didn’t waste the fifth overall pick used to select Tagovailoa in 2020.
Dolphins fans need to cross their fingers and hope it works out.
