The Miami Dolphins have named rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback.
Miami has a bye week this week, but will face off against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8. This gives Tagovailoa two weeks to prepare for his first NFL start.
This news comes two days after Tua made his NFL debut against the New York Jets in a blowout win for the Dolphins. The rookie attempted two passes Sunday, completing both of them for a total of nine yards.
The move sent shockwaves through the NFL due to the fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick has played well for the Dolphins leading them to a 3-3 record. Fitzpatrick has completed 70.1% of his passes for 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Harvard graduate has also thrown for over 1,500 yards which ranks 12th in the league, and one spot behind Tom Brady and ahead of Russell Wilson.
People around the NFL are pleased with how Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has handled the whole situation. Flores waited for the right time and allowed Tua to learn behind Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick had mentioned in the offseason that he understood the situation and knew he would the guy until the team thought Tagovailoa was ready.
Tua’s first start will come 14 days short of a year after he suffered a dislocated hip and posterior wall fracture that would end his collegiate career at Alabama. Many people were concerned if he would ever be able to play again, and he’s now proving a lot of people wrong.
After he made his debut on Sunday against the Jets, the 5th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft was caught going back onto the field after the field had cleared to soak in the moment. Tua also FaceTimed his parents while on the field realizing how special the moment was.
The rookie has a lot of upside and was graded as arguably the best quarterback entering the NFL Draft alongside Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert.
Tua will be the 22nd starting quarterback for Miami since Dan Marino retired back in 2000.
Entering the 2019 season the long lasting joke was that the Dolphins were “tanking for Tua.” Well they didn’t tank for the youngster, but they got the guy they had been wanting for for over a year.
With a 3-3 record, let’s see if the lefty can get Miami back into the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
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