Examining Dolphins Coaching Staff's Explanation for Tua's Inconsistent Play

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s performance this season hasn’t been what most expect.

Whatever side of the Tua argument you come down on, you could count on Tua to win in certain areas. His efficiency, middle-of-the-field prowess, and decision-making took big jumps under head coach Mike McDaniel.

Well, there’s been some major regression in those areas in 2025. He’s tied for the NFL lead in interceptions (13), 24th in passer rating (88.1), and 23rd in EPA per dropback (0.01). Say what you want about his limitations, but Tua has mostly dominated those latter two stats in recent seasons.

Dolphins quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Darrell Bevell spoke to the media Monday and was asked about Tua’s inconsistencies in a few specific areas.

“[I] would say it was up and down, just basically how you described it,” Bevell said about Tua’s performance this season. “He's had good moments, and he's had not-so-good moments. And we're, what we're trying to do is kind of recapture what we've done in the years previous.”

Tua’s Inconsistent Turnover Numbers

Tagovailoa’s league-leading interception number looks pretty bad on paper, and several of them have been rough. Still, Bevell knows that some have been a product of Tua following his coaching.

“There's things that the defense presents to us,” Bevell said. “There's players in certain positions, obviously, that we're trying to put in situations to give them opportunities down the field. I think back to the two in the Buffalo game, we got the exact look that we were looking for. And we said, ‘If we get this look, this is what I want you to do.’ So Tua is following the instructions.”

Bevell is, of course, referring to the deep interceptions Tua has thrown this season, when it looks like he’s just chucking up a prayer and hoping his receiver comes down with it.

Bevell mentioned the two against Buffalo in Week 10, but Tua had another in Week 9 against the Ravens, and the Commanders dropped one in Week 11. This type of INT has become a trend, certainly bloating Tua’s interception numbers.

All of this is entirely fair. Tua is following his coach's instructions, and his coaches are telling him to put the ball up and let his receiver make a play. Bevell said they’re trying to pick their spots against single-high coverage, too.

“There's times where you really want to put pressure on the defense, particularly if you can find the matchups or find one-on-one opportunities we want,” Bevell said. “We don't want to necessarily throw it down there when you've got too high safeties, and guys are just camping back there. You want to do it versus the right looks.”

That’s a good process and makes plenty of sense.

However, if you watch these plays, it’s pretty clear that Tua isn’t good at this. He struggles to generate any velocity on these passes, allowing safeties plenty of time to run underneath and make the play.

Even if it’s a good look pre-snap, Tua’s arm strength is turning 1-on-1s into 2-on-1s at the catch point. Additionally, there isn’t a single receiver on the Dolphins who is good at winning high-point, contested catches.

As Bevell said, not all of the blame can be put on Tua for these interceptions. Instead, these turnovers tell us more about how unsustainable Miami’s passing offense is than anything else.

Tua’s Inconsistent Footwork

Another trend from Tua’s performance this season has been lackluster footwork. We’ve talked about it a bunch, and so have others at the national and local level.

Even Tua has commented about his feet not being aligned with his eyes during post-game press conferences this season.

Bevell was asked about this, and after starting his answer by saying he’s not sure he agrees that Tua’s footwork has been inconsistent, he did say it wasn’t perfect against Washington.

“That's something we preach and believe in wholeheartedly here, and that your base needs to be under you,” Bevell said. “There was a couple of throws in the last game where it was not so every time that it's not where we want it to be.

“We point it out. We coach it. We work it on the field. We practice it. But there's no question that your feet are a huge part of throwing and helping you throw accurately.”

Bevell is certainly correct about the latter point, and it’s clear it’s something on his radar, even if he doesn’t want to say it’s been a huge issue this season. He’s protecting his QB, which is his job.

Still, if you watch the tape, it’s pretty easy to see that Tua’s base has been inconsistent this season, leading to several interceptions and missed throws.

If you watch Bobby Wagner’s Week 11 PBU in the end zone against Jaylen Waddle from the end zone camera, you’ll see Tua’s feet are set to throw right as he tries to hit Waddle running across the left side of the end zone.

That leads him to put the ball on Waddle’s back shoulder, allowing Wagner to make a great play and deflect the pass.

Those small inconsistencies have plagued Tua all season. Bevell’s goal is to get Tua back to his 2022 and 2023 form, but that seems less and less likely every week.

Still, he’s got an excellent opportunity to stack good performances against the Saints and Jets during the next two weeks.

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