Give us something, Tua.
A jaw-dropping pass that makes the crowd erupt (at home), or go silent (on the road).
Elude a defender, run for 20 yards and slide for a first down. Then rise and give us a first down signal.
Tua Tagovailoa needs to throw one of those 40-yard dimes to Jaylen Waddle, or thread the needle with a touchdown pass to Darren Waller, getting it through the outstretched arms of a defender.
Maybe show us one of those slight-of-hand tricks that sends the defense in the wrong direction, or one of those no-look passes that makes our jaw drop.
The Miami Dolphins need to see something from Tagovailoa that provides a proof of life, something that gives us hope that this 27-year-old’s best days aren’t behind him.
Tagovailoa has looked like a shell of himself this season, which has forced the offense to evolve and become more run-centric during the second half of the season, which has featured a four-game winning streak that has Miami on the verge of getting back to .500 if they beat the AFC North leading Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.
For the Dolphins to keep the team’s faint playoff hopes alive in four games that remain, which is the toughest stretch of the season considering three of the four opponents are playoff contenders, this team needs Tagovailoa, whose 86.4 passer rating has him ranked the NFL’s 26th-best quarterback this season, to get out of his funk.
During these final four games there will come a time when the run game is shut down, or Miami needs to score quickly, and can’t rely on the legs of De’Von Achane.
That’s when Tagaovailoa needs to put on his cape and play hero.
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 07: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins kneels for an injured New York Jets player during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 07, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) Kenneth Richmond Getty Images
While we have seen him be clutch throughout his six-year career and lead the Dolphins on critical fourth-quarter, come-from-behind, and game-winning scoring drives, we have also seen too many instances where the former University of Alabama standout shrinks when the spotlight shines on him.
This franchise isn’t talented enough in any area to carry a pedestrian quarterback, and that’s what Tagovailoa has performed like this season, for reasons no one associated with the franchise will address.
“There’s a lot of things that go into that with how I’m seeing it, with how I’m going through the game, with my progressions. If I’m ahead of the play [timing wise], or if I’m not,” said Tagovailoa, who has a 90.7 passer rating during the past six games, averaging 182.3 passing yards per contests, while throwing seven touchdowns and four interceptions. “I think a lot of that has played a big part [in] being the reason as to why it’s not as good, or where it could be, or where it has been in years past.”
When asked if his 2025 issues have to do with the weaponry, the new plays, new concepts [without Hill] or new approach [being run based], Tagovailoa quickly shot all that down, likely avoiding the potential of him being perceived as a finger pointer.
“I think the nuances of the offense. There’s some changes with wording, and a lot more of the motions,” said Tagovailoa, who is completing 66.9% of his passes, throwing for 2,407 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. “Having to understand that a little more, and kind of getting more comfortable with that, within the passing game.”
But this is Tagovailoa’s fourth season in Mike McDaniel’s offense. Are things really getting lost in translation at this point?
I highly doubt that, which is why I can no longer in good conscience consider Tagovailoa “a franchise quarterback,” a player worthy of building South Florida’s football team around, without seeing some flashes of who he once was.
At this point — without his athleticism [which somehow disappeared], as a turnover-prone passer [yes, he has thrown interceptions in bunches], a quarterback who can’t improvise [capitalizing on broken plays is the new NFL] — Tagovailoa’s nothing more than a game manager.
And game managers don’t deserve to be paid $54 million a season, which is what Tagovailoa’s guaranteed in 2026, in the final major payout of the five-year, $235 million extension he received in 2024.
In his defense, there isn’t a single quarterback who wouldn’t struggle losing Tyreek Hill, who was putting together a Hall of Fame worthy career before suffering a career-threatening knee injury back in September, during Miami’s 27-21 win over the New York Jets.
“I’m sure they went through a period of adjustment when they lost their top flight wideout at the end of September. Took them a couple of weeks to find their bearing in terms of distribution of the ball, and play personality,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said this week, evaluating Miami’s new offense. “Certainly, when you watch their tape now there’s evidence they’ve found their home.”
But that home features Tagovailoa as a supporting cast member, and not a leading character.
In his defense Miami’s offensive line was a disaster in the first half of the season, and it messed up his timing because his pockets weren’t clean and consistently compromised passing lanes and his timing of plays. But what quarterback doesn’t deal with that?
And the unit has improved as the season progressed, and now they’re at the point where Butch Barry’s boys are carrying Miami’s offense.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) records a video on the field after defeating the Buffalo Bills in their NFL game at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner [email protected]
Miami went through a stretch of games at midseason where it didn’t have a healthy tight end who knew the offense, and was able to play on every down. Miami was forced to become creative, using an offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill as a tight end, and that approach surprisingly jump-started the offense and has become a regularly used element.
These are all excuses, and six years in we shouldn’t need to make excuses for Tagovailoa, whom the Dolphins drafted fifth overall in the 2020 Draft, using him as the anchor for the franchise’s latest rebuild.
“I’m happy as long as we’re getting wins, I think that’s all that matters in this league,” Tagovailoa said. “Now would I like to throw the ball more? Sure, but if running the ball is what’s helping us win games right now, I don’t see why we stop doing it.”
But what’s going to happen in those instances where the Dolphins can’t run? Is that when the old version of Tagovailoa will finally show up? Or is that when the Dolphins will meet their demise?
