Today the media had a chance to speak with GM Chris Grier and QB Tua Tagovailoa. Here’s what we learned:
For the second consecutive week, the Miami Dolphins held a media availability, allowing the South Florida and National media to speak with General Manager Chris Grier and starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
I may not have been present for today’s press conferences, but I was fortunate enough to follow along on the team’s official YouTube Channel.
Here is Everything we learned from today’s press conferences.
General Manager Chris Grier
grier on tyreek hill:
“we were trying to figure out what we were going to do on draft day & one guy said just watch tyreek highlights
says: “it’s unfair to compare any of those kids (rookie WRs) to tyreek…he’s just so explosive & springy, his work ethic in practice.great fit
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
grier says making the trade for tyreek hill had nothing to do with the 2022 NFL draft class.
“we had the opportunity to acquire tyreek hill. a special talent we were looking for.”
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
grier: “when you make a move for tyreek you want to make sure you have picks for the future…we feel good about that heading into next year.”
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
grier on tua: “yes, we’ve added some pieces on offense but a lot of it fits what mike is looking for. & yeah, a lot of it fits what tua does well. we are all very excited. mike has been raving about tua. mike &coach bevell…spending time with him. they’re very excited for him.”
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
grier on trading DVP to the pats: “multiple teams called, the patriots were the most aggressive. i talked to deVante, we wanted to do well with him as well. but getting that third-round pick was very important to us.”
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
chris grier knows about the memes dolphins twitter has made over the years.
hopefully, he saw my three-eyed raven photoshop.
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
chris grier on tua: “when we were talking to each candidate they were talking about how much they had studied tua and what they liked about him. all of them felt excited and wanted to work with him, felt that they could win with him…” pic.twitter.com/8kwCATnK9I
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
TLDR: The Miami Dolphins will continue to leave no stone unturned in their search to build a winning franchise. As we’ve seen before, Grier and his staff pride themselves on finding talent on the backend of the draft, which they intend to do this year. Grier joked that the team would be watching highlights of Hill during the first and second rounds of the draft. Grier also reiterated that Miami’s trade for superstar WR Tyreek Hill had nothing to do with the players in the 2022 Draft class.
He also revealed that head coach Mike McDaniel and Quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell ‘have been raving’ about quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. New England was the most aggressive team in the DeVante Parker sweepstakes. Grier refused to discuss the rumors of Sean Payton and Tom Brady to Miami.
I, like everyone, am excited to see what the Miami Dolphins do this upcoming season. But even before that, I’m curious to see if Chris Grier has any tricks up his sleeves as the 2022 NFL draft moves closer.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
tua on what it’s like throwing to hill: “it’s fun. you catch glimpses of his speed and obviously, we had played against him. seen him play in other games, his highlights. dude is explosive. he can turn a -2 yard swing into a 20-yard touchdown, it’s pretty cool. it’s exciting.”
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
tua: “the locker room feels different. we’re all excited. this is the first time i’ve seen a lot of guys show up to phase one of OTAs and a lot of veterans. i think that speaks a lot to mike and the amount of respect he has from the players in the locker room”
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
tua tagovailoa says the point of emphasis has been on his footwork this offseason.
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
tua on the offense:
“well, we only had two days of really, getting into the offense, so there’s not much installed with the run-action. it’s very similar to what we ran at alabama. it makes it a little easier as far as verbiage but it’s still a challenge.”
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
tua doesn’t want to say a lot about his relationship with flores:
“i’m very thankful he drafted me to come here and play for the miami dolphins. that’s what i would say.”
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
tua said he traveled to maryland in the offseason to throw with his brother. it snowed.
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
tagovailoa on cedrick wilson: *laughs* “i thought he was a lot smaller. maybe the #1 made him look extremely slim when he was with the cowboys. i thought he was a very small shifty guy. he’s actually really big, he’s tall, lanky and he can move. it surprised me.”
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
— josh houtz (@houtz) April 20, 2022
TLDR: First, I’m speculating here, but Tua Tagovailoa DID NOT like Brian Flores. That was one of my biggest takeaways from all of this. The other is the complete 180 team morale has taken over the last four months. Tagovailoa seemed genuinely happy and joked about his relationship with Mike McDaniel. He said Miami’s HC wants to hang out sometimes and gets upset when he’s not invited.
Tagovailoa looked as confident as ever and said he’s ready for year three with expectations only being one thing: WIN. Miami’s QB1 said the offense was similar to what he ran at Alabama. Tua even shared some insight on how he studies the playbooks, using his entire family at times to act out the play. Tua said he’s been working on his footwork in the offseason and building chemistry with his new wide receivers. He even traveled to Maryland to throw in the snow—as promised.
My expectations for Tagovailoa were unrealistic during his first two seasons. I can admit that. But I think now, with a head coach that believes in him, an improved offensive line, and the plethora of weapons now at his disposal, the Tua Tagovailoa we see in 2022 will be everything we dreamed of and more.
If you missed today’s press conferences, click HERE and HERE.
What are your thoughts on today’s press conferences? Do you think Tua Tagovailoa will take the next step in year three? How do you feel about the Tyreek Hill trade? What should Chris Grier do when the team is finally on the clock with pick 102? Should the Dolphins be interested in San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel?!?! Let us know in the comments section below!