Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill has predicted Tua Tagovailoa will "go crazy" thanks to his offensive weapons in 2023.
Last season, Tagovailoa - the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft - enjoyed the best year of his career to lead the NFL in passer rating (105.5). In doing so, he became the first Dolphins quarterback to achieve such a feat since the legendary Dan Marino back in 1984.
While the 25-year-old was limited to just 13 games as he struggled with concussions, the Dolphins triggered Tagovailoa’s fifth-year option this offseason. The option locks the quarterback into a fully-guaranteed salary of $23.2m (£18.9m) for the 2024 campaign - which is a big financial commitment.
However, the faith of the franchise appears to be well-placed with Tagovailoa tallying an 8-5 record as a starter while he threw for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns to just eight interceptions in 2022. His impressive performances saw Miami move from 22nd in points scored to 11, with Tagovailoa enjoying the addition of Hill via trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Heading into 2023, the Dolphins added rookie running back Devon Achane to the likes of Hill, fellow star wideout Jaylen Waddle and veteran back Raheem Mostert. As a result, Hill believes the offense can be even more productive with Tagovailoa at the helm once again.
“Obviously we got one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL and I’m sticking to my stance on that,” Hill said, via KPRC. “So having Tua at quarterback and having the offensive guru we have in our head coach is wonderful.
“Having those weapons at his disposal, he’s going to go crazy. He can have me and Waddle on one side, Devon and Raheem on another side. The sky is the limit for this offense.”
Hill stirred the pot last offseason when he claimed Tagovailoa was more accurate than Super Bowl champion and two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes. The Dolphins quarterback then went on to have the best season of his career so far, although he missed five games due to concussions.
Tagovailoa will be the Dolphins’ quarterback for the foreseeable future - but the health concerns will likely continue going into next season.The Dolphins signed former New York Jets quarterback Mike White to join the quarterback room in 2023, offering him a two-year deal worth $8m (£6.52m). He will compete with Skylar Thompson for the backup role behind Tagovailoa, who completed just 18 passes from 45 attempts in the postseason loss to the Bills.
Tagovailoa has played in 36 career games for the Dolphins, completing 708 of 1,078 passes for 8,015 yards and 52 touchdowns. His career passer rating of 95.0 is the highest in Dolphins history and his 65.7 career completion percentage ranks second among all-time Dolphins passers.
