The 2022 season was a roller coaster ride for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Many people questioned whether or not he was the long-term answer for the Miami Dolphins at the position but those doubters were quickly quieted.
With the addition of Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins’ offense took off with Tua Tagovailoa leading the way. Hill and Jaylen Waddle quickly turned into one of the most dominant wide receiver duos in the NFL.
Those were the highs of the season, as the lows were certainly the scary head injuries that he endured. The Dolphins did what they could to remain competitive with him in the lineup, but it proved difficult with backup Teddy Bridgewater also suffering an injury, thrusting seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson into the lineup.
What can we expect to see from Tua Tagovailoa in Year 4? Here are three early bold predictions for the Dolphins’ quarterback in 2023.
3. Stays Healthy For the Entire Season
The Dolphins looked like a Super Bowl contender before their season was turned upside down with Tua Tagovailoa suffering multiple head injuries. If they want to reach that point again, they will have to do everything in their power to help keep him healthy this season.
Whether that means running the ball a little more to take some pressure off of him or changing the kind of passing plays that are called, head coach Mike McDaniel will do it. It will breed very positive results as well.
Tua Tagovailoa will play in all 17 regular season games, putting the Dolphins on track for another excellent season. Miami was 8-3 in games he played start to finish without an injury, going 1-5 in the other games.
2. Top-3 MVP Finish
Despite only playing in 13 games in 2022, and suffering injuries in three of them, Tua Tagovailoa ended up finishing ninth in the MVP voting. Had he stayed healthy for the entirety of the season, he would have finished much higher on that list.
Building off of the first early bold prediction, staying healthy for the entire season will put him back in the MVP race again this upcoming season. He will finish in the top-3, once again leading the league in multiple passing categories.
Last season, Tua Tagovailoa paced the league in touchdown percentage, yards per attempt, adjusted yards per attempt, yards gained per pass completion, quarterback rating, net yards gained per pass attempt and adjusted net yards per pass attempt. He will replicate that high level of success with Hill and Waddle once again leading the way.
1. Dolphins Win AFC East
The Dolphins proved last season, when healthy, they could hang with any team in the league. With some improvements made defensively, they are in an even better position to succeed in 2023.
The AFC East has a chance to be the toughest division in the NFL this season, but it will be one the Dolphins will navigate successfully. With Tua Tagovailoa healthy and playing at a high level, Miami is going to win their first AFC East title since 2008 when Chad Pennington was leading the offense and Tony Sparano was the head coach.
The team will then reward Tua Tagovailoa with a big contract extension, locking him in as their long-term option at quarterback.
