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Tyreek Hill has been one of Tua Tagovailoa’s most vocal supporters since joining the Dolphins during the offseason. On Friday, the star receiver again went to bat for his flourishing third-year quarterback.
The Dolphins (6–3) jumped out to a hot start this season largely due to the success of Tagovailoa and their high-powered offense. At the center of this attack has been a group of speedy skill players led by Hill and second-year wideout Jaylen Waddle, who rank first (1,104) and fifth (812) in the NFL in receiving yards, respectively.
In Hill’s estimation, Miami’s success behind Tua thus far has done more than enough to prove that those who doubted he could excel in the NFL were wrong all long. The 24-year-old has already impressed his first-year teammate so much, in fact, that Hill told reporters Friday he believes everyone owes Tagovailoa an apology.
“That’s all people got to do, man—just set their pride aside” Hill said, per NFL Network’s Mike Giardi. “Everybody isn’t blessed to come into certain situations. Unfortunately, Tua, he came into a difficult situation.”
As a player who knows a thing or two about being in the right situation to start his career, Hill seems more than convinced that Tua is heading in the right direction under first-year coach Mike McDaniel. And for good reason.
Since returning from a string of controversial injuries in Week 7, Tagovailoa has recorded 945 yards and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions while leading Miami to a three-game winning streak. On the year, he has recorded 1,980 yards, 15 TDs and three INTs as part of an offense that ranks fifth in total yards per game (380.4) and ninth in points per game (23.7).
For the better part of the offseason, both Hill and Tagovailoa faced questions regarding how impactful Miami’s offense could be given looming accuracy concerns surrounding the QB coming into the year. Back in June, Hill added fuel to the fire when he claimed Tagovailoa was more accurate than Patrick Mahomes, the former MVP QB he starred alongside for four of his six years with the Chiefs under Andy Reid.
At the time, many felt the claim and others like it were about as ludicrous as they come. But, at this juncture of the season, Tagovailoa has shown what he can do when given a reliable arsenal of weapons, much like his days as a rising star at Alabama.
Prior to Hill, Waddle, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 draft, showed a real chemistry with Tagovailoa, his former college teammate, during a rookie year in which he led the Dolphins in receiving yards and broke an NFL record for most receptions by a rookie. Now, Waddle has joined forces with Hill to help elevate Miami’s offense next to Tagovailoa and under McDaniel.
After turning in an up-and-down first two seasons, Tagovailoa has, to Hill’s point, been one of the premier QBs in the NFL through the first nine weeks. And if he keeps it up, there’s a good chance a lot more people will be singing his praises by the end of the season.
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