The Miami Dolphins made a splash acquisition this offseason, acquiring cornerback Jalen Ramsey to shore up their secondary. His addition is a big one as the AFC East has Josh Allen and potentially Aaron Rodgers in it in 2023. In addition, the AFC is a gauntlet with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow also residing in it.
That is a daunting set of quarterbacks for Miami to get through just to only qualify for the Super Bowl. But, the Dolphins have an emerging player of their own to run the offense in Tua Tagovailoa.
While Ramsey was a great pickup, the most important thing to come away from this offseason for the franchise is the health of Tagovailoa. He suffered two documented head injuries last season that was scary to witness. It clouded his future as the team’s quarterback, but the Dolphins have re-committed to him.
Head coach Mike McDaniel has expressed a ton of confidence in Tagovailoa, who was playing at an MVP level before concussions derailed his season. Speaking this weekend to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, McDaniel provided an update on Tagovailoa and his progress this offseason.
“He’s doing great,” McDaniel said of Tagovailoa. “He’s had a really good offseason with his family and training and positioning himself to feel good moving forward. He’s very healthy, vibrant, and I can see a hunger in him that I’m excited to watch play out.”
The franchise has committed to Tagovailoa and is confident that he can help get them to the level in which they hope to achieve. McDaniel reinforced those sentiments, as the first season together was a fruitful one and even more success could be on the horizon.
“He’s a younger player and he’s very honest and candid. But it also gives me a barometer,” the Dolphins coach told Pelissero. “He was doing a lot, he’s got a lot of room to grow, let’s just say that. He did an unbelievable job being able to lead an offense in year one. That’s a new language. This is his first year where he’s going to have continued offense, play caller and position coach.”
The Dolphins have a very explosive offense with Tagovailoa at the helm. He has arguably the best wide receiver duo in the NFL to target in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, which helped him take his game to a new level in 2022.
After being on a roller coaster ride with plenty of peaks and valleys, the Dolphins are hopeful 2023 presents them with more highs than lows. With some of the moves that they have made and more on the horizon with the NFL Draft, as long as Tagovailoa is healthy and under center, the team is capable of making some noise in the AFC.
