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Carr's Call: Tua Is Steve Young

NFL Network analyst David Carr is very high on Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's long-term potential

It seems pretty much every analyst this offseason has given his taken on Tua Tagovailoa's rookie season and his potential moving forward, and for the most part the reviews have been positive.

But perhaps no one has offered as strong an endorsement of the Miami Dolphins quarterback than what former NFL QB and NFL Network analyst David Carr had to say.

Basically, Carr said Tagovailoa is destined to become another Steve Young.

"He looks like Steve Young," Carr said. "I mean, that's the guy that he's gonna turn into. It's gonna take a little time. It took Steve Young a while to morph and kind of grow into that All-Pro, MVP type player, but he has the same type of ability as Steve."

Like Tagovailoa, Carr was a first-round pick; in fact, he was the first overall selection in 2002 when the expansion Houston Texans made him their first-ever draft pick.

Carr went on to start in Houston's first five seasons before he wrapped up his NFL career with five more years as mostly a backup with three other teams.

Carr's comments came one day after Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones sang Tua's praises during an interview with Good Morning Football.

But this is where Carr's words maybe mean more than those of a current teammate or opponent because the protocol says to praise players in public comments.

"I just think back to when I went from my rookie year to my second year and how much more comfortable I felt," Carr said. "Tua is gonna be in the same situation as all young quarterbacks are. I thought he played really well and when you look at the film you see similarities and you can see why the Miami Dolphins are excited. 

“I think the biggest thing with Tua is let's just have some patience. The Miami Dolphins clearly have patience. They didn't go out and get another quarterback. Sure, there were talks of maybe getting another one, but where did those really come from? I think they love the fact they have Tua. I think he's gonna be a great quarterback. I think he learned a lot from Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he's just going to take that next jump and help this team get to the playoffs.”

Tagovailoa went 6-3 as a rookie starter in 2020 with 11 touchdown passes against five interceptions, though his passing numbers were pedestrian in part because he didn't take many chances downfield.

But Carr not only liked what he saw from Tagovailoa as a rookie, he liked the way the Dolphins used their two quarterbacks last season.

"That was a brilliant play by the head coach, by the staff, by everyone involved and even Ryan," Carr said. "You've got to give Ryan and Tua credit, just the way they managed that entire year with both those guys playing. You can tell they're high -haracter guys, I'm super excited to watch him now as this team becomes his team going forward.”