The Miami Dolphins may not be a team that receives a ton of attention from the national media, but they are a team that is building the right way. It may be another year or two before they are viewed as playoff contenders, but they should take a big step forward in their rebuilding process. That is due to the addition of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Tagovailoa was at one point considered the obvious No. 1 overall pick. However, he suffered a hip injury with the Crimson Tide in 2019 and Joe Burrow put on a spectacular show at LSU.
Despite not going with the first overall pick, Tagovailoa will be one of the most talked about players from this draft class for years to come. Could he be the guy that finally puts the Dolphins back on the map?
Looking ahead to his rookie season this year, no one knows exactly what to expect from Tagovailoa. Due to the hip injury that he suffered last year, the Dolphins are going to play things safe. They aren’t going to force their rookie quarterback onto the field.
At this point in time, it is expected that Brian Flores will start the season with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. Josh Rosen is also on the roster, although he has done nothing to prove that he could start for Miami.
With that in mind, when should fans be expecting to see Tagovailoa take over the starting job?
Taking a closer look at the schedule, the Dolphins have a rough start to the season. They take on the New England Patriots in Week 1, followed by the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, and Denver Broncos.
Flores would be wise to wait until after the 49ers game to plug Tagovailoa into the lineup. Starting him in Week 6 on the road against the Broncos makes a ton of sense. It gives him time to prove that he is fully healed and ready to play.
Against the Broncos, Tagovailoa will have a chance to have a decent start to his career. He will then face the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, who could very well both struggle this season. After that are the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and the Jets again.
That stretch of games would be very important for Tua Tagovailoa. He would have a chance to begin his career against teams that the Dolphins are capable of competing against and potentially beating.
Expect to see the Dolphins be extremely patient with their young franchise quarterback. The last thing they need is to hurry him out on the field and see him get hurt.
Tagovailoa is a future superstar and Dolphins fans should expect to see him on the field around Week 6.
