Alabama Football: Why the Dolphins shouldn’t trade Tua Tagovailoa

Miami should stick with their former Alabama football quarterback

Last year, Miami Dolphins fans were waiting to see their future with Tua Tagovailoa. After a great Alabama football career, Tua became the second quarterback drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Dolphins are now already considering moving the first-round pick, and that might be a little premature.

Miami was one win away from making the NFL Playoffs this year, but their offense struggled. They failed to consistently push the ball down the field, and some of their best moments were with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. Still, there are plenty of reasons why they should stick with Tua.

Let’s start with what Tua was facing this year. He came off of a devastating hip injury that many believed would cost him his rookie season. He also had a limited offseason with the Dolphins due to COVID-19. Even with this adversity, Tua Tagovailoa went 6-3 as a starter in his rookie season.

Tua also got minimal help from his weapons this year. His offensive line crumbled frequently. The running game was inconsistent, and all of their receivers had bad drops on quality passes by Tua.

As of right now, Miami has three options. They can either stick with Tua, draft his replacement or trade for Deshaun Watson. Drafting a quarterback is a non-starter. Outside of Trevor Lawrence, no quarterback in this class compares to Tua Tagovailoa. There are more pressing needs on this team than quarterback, and drafting Tua’s replacement would be a waste of the asset.

While some Miami Dolphins fans will want the team to trade for Watson, the asking price will be massive. Miami would likely have to give up both of their first-round picks and other assets to land him. Doing this would keep the Dolphins from bolstering the rest of the roster, and they would be paying Watson considerably more. Without a better offensive line or receiving corps, the Dolphins will still be limited as a team.

Because of this, their best option is to build around Tua. Let him prove himself with a quality offense around him. With so many draft picks, the Dolphins could add some of Tua’s former teammates with Alabama football. Pairing him with DeVonta Smith and Najee Harris would give him some of the best weapons in this class, and Alex Leatherwood would be an asset on the offensive line.

After just one season, there is no reason to believe that Tua can’t lead the Dolphins on a significant playoff run. If you draft weapons around him and use his cheap contract to invest in other positions, the Dolphins can be an AFC contender for the foreseeable future.