The Miami Dolphins have taken the field in training camp, and all eyes are on rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who selected the team with the fifth-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Alabama legend is expected to compete with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job.
Tagovailoa is through two practices as a pro, and Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said he had no signs of problems with his surgically repaired left hip when he was drilled. Flores then dives into Tagovailoa’s performance early in training camp, and it sounds like the quarterback is experiencing some expected growth pains.
“Some good, some bad,” said Flores, via Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Some good throw and good decisions, some throws that are not so good and some decisions that were not so good. “
Rookies at any position often have up and down appearances early, so this is not necessarily surprising. Tagovailoa will need every rep he can get in training camp, as there are no preseasons games this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Friday, former NFL quarterback Jordan Palmer explained why he believes Tagovailoa will benefit from Fitzpatrick’s presence.
“I know Tua and I also played with Ryan Fitpatrick,” Palmer said. ‘The value does not appear on your fantasy statistics … it’s all behind closed doors. As good as some of the coaching is in the NFL at quarterback position, if you left 100 quarterbacks up and asked, from whom did you learn the most football, then the majority of these guys would call a veteran player a coach . If you are a Ryan Fitzpatrick, you have gold. Better than a great quarterback coach, better than a good refereeing approach, is someone who can help in every phase of the game. “
Speaking to the media last Thursday, Tagovailoa first preached to the Dolphins team.
“I think our coaches will put the best 11 players in place,” Tagovailoa said. ‘Whether I’m in that lineup or not, they’ve done enough evaluation all week and month to get to that game. As for that, I know they will put the best out of it. But if we did not have a season, I do not think it would just be me who would be bummed, I think our whole team would be bummed and also other teams that we do not get a chance to play. This is something where a lot of people work and it’s our job, but it’s also a dream for many of us to get a chance. “
The Dolphins went 5-11 one season ago, but showed real promise at the end of the season, and Fitzpatrick was a big reason why. He led the team to a 3-2 mark in the last five games, including a win on the road over the New England Patriots in the season finale.
Miami will open its season with the Patriots, who also have a quarterback competition between them Brian Hoyer, Cam Newton en Jarrett Stidham.
247Sports’ Nick Kosko and David Lake contributed to this report.
