General manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel have done a lot to improve the Miami Dolphins’ offense this offseason.
They’ve addressed the offensive line issues, they’ve added new weapons at running back and wide receiver and they’ve brought in some experienced offensive coaches to teach a new system.
That puts a lot of pressure on Tua Tagovailoa to show that he can produce when a lot of the pieces are already in place for him. In the past, he’s had to worry about rumors about Deshaun Watson or Tom Brady coming to take his job, but this year, it’s all on him.
However, beyond 2022, it’s anyone’s guess.
During a segment called “What’s More Likely” on a recent episode of “The Rich Eisen Show,” Eisen was asked a question regarding the Dolphins’ future at the position. Is it more likely that Tagovailoa has 30 total touchdowns (passing and rushing) in 2022 or Brady is Miami’s quarterback in 2023?
Eisen’s answer was surprising.
“That’s the one that’s more likely – that Tua struggles and Brady is the quarterback in 2023,” Eisen said. “I don’t think Tua’s going to combine for 30 touchdowns. That’s a lot of touchdowns, and I know this offense can turn into a lot of touchdowns, but he would have to go from 33 in his first two seasons where he hasn’t played a full season whether it’s due to injury or the fact he wasn’t ready when he was removed for the recently-retired, soon-to-be Amazon star Ryan Fitzpatrick. That’s a tall order. That’s a tall tall order… I want Tua to succeed, but that he’s not the quarterback next year, and it’s Brady? [That’s] more likely than Tua combining for 30 touchdowns this year.”
Tagovailoa averaged 1.5 touchdowns per game in 2021, he’ll have to score closer to two if he wants to hit that 30. The number’s completely arbitrary, but that’s roughly the floor for what a quarterback should be producing in this league especially considering all of the talent around him.
