Before attending Wednesday night’s NBA Finals game in South Beach, Mike McDaniel gushed about Tua Tagovailoa’s offseason.
During his press conference, the Miami Dolphins head coach said Tagovailoa is “everything you look for in a starting quarterback.” He believes the 25-year-old has shown more consistency in practice.
“He had his games where he made some big-time plays, and then he wasn’t as happy with the rest of the game,” McDaniel said, via Pro Football Talk. “So kind of looking at it through that lens, he’s really been one of our more consistent — I think he’s been as consistent as anybody day-in and day-out, which has residual effects on the whole team. I know the team can feel it as well.”
As they enter their second year together, McDaniel wants to see Tagovailoa take “ownership” of the offense. He declared that the former first-round pick has “checked that box every day” and showed the development he hoped to see.
“It’s been really cool in a year’s time how he’s not only learned the language but is now fluent in it,” McDaniel said. “That opens quarterbacks up to doing some of the components of the job that — it’s really hard to try to be the leader of an offense and motivate guys and encourage guys when you need to, or maybe be hard on guys when you need to, when you’re just trying to spit out a play and know your own assignment.”
Tagovailoa flourished under McDaniel’s offense, leading the NFL in quarterback rating (105.5) and yards per attempt (8.9). However, his breakout took a back seat to concerns over concussions, the last of which ended his third NFL season early.
If healthy, Tagovailoa could again post eye-popping numbers alongside speedsters Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in 2023.