There have been some discussions involving the Miami Dolphins this offseason when it comes to the quarterback position. The health of Tua Tagovailoa has been a hot topic as it took him more than a month to get cleared from concussion protocol after he suffered another head injury on Christmas Day against the Green Bay Packers.
It was the second documented concussion for Tagovailoa of the season, as his first incident was a scary one against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Figuring things out with him and his long-term outlook is the No. 1 concern for the franchise this offseason. After that, they can get to work figuring things out with the roster.
One of the most successful transactions of the 2022 offseason was the Dolphins trading for wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill combined with Jaylen Waddle to make arguably the best wide receiver duo in the NFL, which Tagovailoa took full advantage of.
The Alabama product had the best season of his career, leading the league in a few statistics despite playing in only 13 games. If the Dolphins want to help him take his performance to an even higher level in 2023, they need to upgrade the running game.
Miami ranked 31st in rushing attempts last season and 25th in yardage. That put a ton of pressure on Tagovailoa and the passing offense to succeed so that the unit could find success. It is a bit of an oddity that the Dolphins struggled to run the ball consistently as that is what head coach Mike McDaniel built his reputation on with the San Francisco 49ers.
Looking to get back to his roots, the Dolphins should make a splash in free agency and sign running back Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders. The league’s leading rusher in 2022 with 1,653 yards would be a perfect fit in Miami.
Right now, there isn’t a single running back signed for the 2023 season on the Dolphins’ roster. Jeff Wilson Jr., Raheem Mostert, Salvon Ahmed and Myles Gaskin are all hitting free agency in a few weeks, leaving a huge void on the roster. Given how limited the production was this past season, making a move for arguably the best running back in the NFL last year would be a bold move.
Jacobs is expected to cash in on a huge raise based on projections shared by CBS Sports via Spotrac, which could complicate things for Miami. But, if his market isn’t as robust as many projects, they should move around the necessary money and provide Tagovailoa with another big upgrade to the skill position groups around him.
