Kelly: Will 2023 Be the Season Tua Tagovailoa Gets the Last Laugh?
What a difference a year makes when it comes to social media quarterback promotions.
On Monday the Miami Dolphins shared a sexy post that showcases Tua Tagovailoa throwing a mid-range pass to Robbie Chosen, who toe-tapped the sideline to catch the undefended post pass inbounds.
The caption for the slow motion video read, “A little something to get your week started,” and it closed out with a smiley face.
[Insert applause]
That’s how you promote the 2023 season when your roster features the NFL’s top-rated quarterback.
THIS TUA VIDEO VERSUS THE 2022 VIDEO
Oddly, about this time last year Dolphins’ social media accounts shared an on-field video of Tagovailoa underthrowing Tyreek Hill, and the Internet went crazy mocking the team, and the supposedly noodle-armed quarterback.
There was talk that Hill, an elite receiver who is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, was going to waste the prime of his career with a quarterback who can’t throw the deep ball effectively.
Numerous mainstream media sites and shows spent days taking shots at Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, Hill was motivated to come forward with a proclamation that Tagovailoa was a more accurate passer than Patrick Mahomes, from whom he caught passes with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hill then gave Tagovailoa an endorsement that had media pundits chuckling when he sent out his own highlight video of Tagovailoa asking, “Can y’all chill or nah? We talking about practice.”
Hill signed that post “Tua Dimez,” and that describes plenty of the passes he received from Tagovailoa last season, as the main weapon in the NFL’s sixth-best offense.
And that’s despite Tagovailoa missing the bulk of five games because of concussions and the Dolphins enduring a late-season tailspin that produced five straight losses before Miami ended the year with an 11-6 win that secured the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2016.
TUA IN EVEN BETTER POSITION THIS SEASON
The moves Miami made on offense this offseason should help the Dolphins remain one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses because on paper the Dolphins improved its weapon arsenal substantially.
Hill and Waddle already are one of the NFL’s most dangerous receiver duos.
Hill became a first-team All-Pro for the fourth time last season after catching 119 passes for 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns, and in two seasons Waddle has accounted for 2,731 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. And 949 of those yards were a byproduct of yards after the catch.
Now they are flanked by Robbie Chosen, a seven-year NFL veteran who has made a career out of catching deep balls, and Baxton Berrios, a savvy slot receiver who has produced more than half his 1,085 receiving yards via run-after-the-catch plays.
Miami did lose Mike Gesicki, the flexed-out tight end the Dolphins sparingly used last year because of his struggles blocking, but replaced him with two veteran receivers — Eric Saubert and Tyler Kroft — who have collectively started 67 games and scored 15 touchdowns.
And that doesn’t even factor in the possibility that Durham Smythe will handle a larger work load than the 557 offensive snaps he played last season as Miami’s in-line tight end, or the development of Tanner Conner and Elijah Higgins, the two receivers Miami is transitioning to tight end.
Pair those weapons with a deeper, and more experienced stable of tailbacks that should benefit from the addition of speedster De’Von Achane, a Texas A&M standout the Dolphins selected in the third round and intend to use as a pass catching specialist because of his 4.32 speed and reliable hands.
At this point the only thing the Dolphins are missing is a reliable offensive line to keep Tagovailoa healthy and upright. The recent signing of former Patriots starter Isaiah Wynn should help in that pursuit because he’ll at least provide depth, if not challenge for a starting role at one of Miami’s vulnerable spots.
Let’s hope the Dolphins continue to fortify the offensive line and Miami exits the offseason program and training camp relatively healthy because that would ensure Tagovailoa is positioned to get the last laugh.
