Tua Time: Tagovailoa to Start For Dolphins
CINCINNATI — It's Tua time in Miami. The Dolphins are making fifth-overall pick Tua Tagovailoa their starting quarterback according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Tagovailoa, 22, made his NFL debut in garbage time during Sunday's 24-0 win over the Jets. The rookie completed both of his passes for nine yards. The Dolphins have a bye this week, but he'll get a real shot to show what he can do on Nov. 1 against the Rams.
"The most encouraging thing about Tagovailoa’s training camp, based on the practices open to the media, was the way he moved," Alain Poupart of AllDolphins said in September. "The way he rolled out and scrambled at times, it actually was difficult to tell this was a quarterback coming off a major hip injury some nine months ago. From an effectiveness standpoint, Tagovailoa looked like a lot of rookie quarterbacks with inconsistency from throw to throw and some hesitation in the pocket. But what was pretty consistent was Tagovailoa’s accuracy on short to intermediate throws, which was a trademark of his during his brilliant career at the University of Alabama."
Tagovailoa and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will be forever linked. Cincinnati selected Burrow with the No. 1 pick. Tagovailoa went four picks later.
Burrow got the best of Tagovailoa last season in Tuscaloosa, leading LSU past Alabama 46-41.
The two rookies could see each other again this season. The Bengals will travel to Miami to play the Dolphins in Week 14. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.
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