Ad Disclosure
ESPN analysts debate whether Dolphins can be championship-level team with Tua Tagovailoa
Published:
Tua Tagovailoa looked the part of a winner on Saturday night, albeit against a lot of backup Philadelphia Eagles defensive players in the teams’ preseason finale.
He hooked up with shiny new weapon Tyreek Hill for a 51-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage and went 6 of 7 for 121 yards and a touchdown in three series as the Miami Dolphins blew out the Eagles 48-10 at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins scored on all three series that Tagovailoa played, scoring two touchdowns and a field goal.
On Monday morning, a roundtable of ESPN analysts on “Get Up” reacted to that performance and gave their views on Tagovailoa’s chances to one day lead the Dolphins to Super Bowl championships. With the general consensus being that the Dolphins have upgraded their roster significantly in 2022, led by Hill’s arrival, the analysts believed big things might be in store if Tagovailoa can finally avoid the injury bug and keep progressing as a young quarterback.
Analyst Dan Orlovsky had the strongest belief that Tagovailoa could one day add a Super Bowl trophy to his 2017 national title at Alabama.
“We’re talking about a conference and division that is absolutely loaded. This roster, if Tua takes the step forward like I think he will, with OK finally solidifying his scheme, a new head coach and play caller in Mike McDaniel, more talent, this is a team that is going to compete for championships,” Orlovsky said. “They are a sleeper when it comes to an AFC [East] division championship and/or AFC championship run.”
Longtime analyst Mike Greenberg agreed with Orlovsky on Tagovailoa’s expected progression in 2022 but pointed to the massive expectations he now faces, having the dynamic Hill to throw to and having been taken one spot ahead of Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert in the 2020 draft.
Former NFL executive-turned-analyst Mike Tannenbaum brought a bit of a reality check, saying Tagovailoa would first have to get past reigning AFC East champion Buffalo and its star QB, Josh Allen.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
