Dolphins’ Coach Makes Puzzling Comments On Tua Tagovailoa

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is preparing to enter the final year of his deal, and there has been no indication that the Dolphins have made any sort of real progress with him on that front.

There has been some debate as to whether or not Miami should invest a ton of money into Tagovailoa long term, and the Dolphins’ front office may be feeling the same way.

Why else would they be dragging their feet in extension talks with the 25-year-old?

Tagovailoa was reportedly present at the team’s organized team activities to start the week, which was an admirable on his part given that OTAs are voluntary.

But head coach Mike McDaniel made some rather strange comments concerning Tagovailoa’s attendance at the offseason workouts on Tuesday.

“(Tagovailoa) has been here for offseason activities. He has not been here for offseason activities. He has been both,” McDaniel said, via Eric Edholm of NFL.com.

I guess what McDaniel is trying to say is that Tagovailoa has not been present for every single voluntary offseason activity thus far, but that he is there for OTAs.

McDaniel has always been one to provide the media with rather odd quotes, so perhaps we can just chalk all of this up to that.

Still, there has to be some sort of awkwardness between Tagovailoa and the staff.

Tagovailoa must be wondering what more he has to do to secure a long-term deal.

This past season, the University of Alabama product led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, made the Pro Bowl and guided the Dolphins to an 11-win campaign.

Two years ago, Tagovailoa paced the league with a 105.5 passer rating.

However, many still refuse to give Tagovailoa a whole lot of credit, stating that he is merely a product of two great receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Others also add that McDaniel’s system makes the Ewa Beach, Hi. native look a whole lot better than he actually is.

There are, though, some valid criticisms about Tagovailoa, such as his struggles against good teams and his inability to win in cooler weather.

Yes, Tagovailoa plays in South Beach, but the three other AFC East teams play in the northeast, where it gets bitter cold late in the season. He also may have to go on the road in colder climates in the playoffs, much like this past January when he labored in a Wild Card Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

We’ll see if the Dolphins are able to get something done with Tua Tagovailoa before next season begins.