Dolphins Coaches Assess Tua's Progress and Readiness

Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa remains a hot topic of conversation and two of his coaches discussed his development

Miami Dolphins rookie Tua Tagovailoa still hasn't played a down in the NFL after the first four weeks of the NFL regular season, but his quarterback coach says he's making steady progress.

“I think he continues to improve every day," assistant coach Robby Brown said Tuesday. "He comes in, he works hard from a mental perspective. He works hard from a physical perspective. He’s sitting under a really smart guy right now that helps him out. Like I’ve said in the past — I know I’m not saying anything new to you guys — but ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is very open to helping him. Just different things that he’s learned over 16 years under center, so that helps a lot.

"I think he asks good questions. He asks good questions during the game sitting there listening to the play. Then when we come over and look at the pictures, he asks good questions, so I think his development, I’ve been pleased with it so far. It’s just keep doing what he’s doing and going in to prepare every single day. He’s done a good job with that.”

Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey earlier said he was confident about Tagovailoa's level of readiness should he pressed into action.

The Dolphins announced via their Twitter account Tuesday morning that Ryan Fitzpatrick would be the starting quarterback for the game against the San Francisco 49ers this weekend, one day after head coach Brian Flores left some room for interpretation in his day-after-the-game Zoom media session.

Tagovailoa certainly wasn't helped by the lack of offseason practices and a preseason, but who knows whether that would have made a difference in whether he'd have been in the lineup by now.

“We get him ready every week, and we have what he feels comfortable with," Gailey said. "I do that with Fitz too. I say, 'What are you most comfortable with?' We ask Tua, 'What are you most comfortable with?' So if he has to go into the game — like you said, he’s one play away from having to play — I feel like he’ll go in and play well. He’s a rookie and hasn’t played in a preseason game. He hadn’t been in a game at all, so it’ll be a new experience for him. He’ll have to go in there with eyes wide open, but I think knowing the person that he is and knowing the type of preparation that he puts in, I think he’s going to be ready when his time is called.”