Tagovailoa’s Lack of Off-Season Work

Tua Tagovailoa seemed destined for NFL stardom from the moment he came off the bench in the National Championship Game to lead Alabama to victory. A combination of injuries and COVID-19 restrictions, though, have put the start of his pro career on hold.

The cancellation of offseason programs meant that the Dolphins didn’t have a chance to see Tagovailoa on the field until training camp. With no preseason games, Tagovailoa will have gone 10 months without playing a competitive down of football by the time the season starts.

While he’s looked impressive in training camp, displaying impressive mobility to go along with his passing ability, head coach Brian Flores admits the lack of work put Tagovailoa behind in his development.

“This isn’t ground-breaking news. Fitz is going to be the starter. In a year like this, with no OTAs, no mini-camp, limited training camp, I felt like that was the best decision for the team,” Flores said during his Monday announcement.

Tagovailoa’s time as the Dolphins’ next franchise quarterback will come. But he’ll likely have to wait until 2021.