It appears as though not everyone believes that Tua Tagovailoa is lacking in the talent department. That he's only successful because of the offensive system that he plays in.
Not everyone, as in Hall of Famer quarterback Kurt Warner. The 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee sees plenty of talent in the Dophins' star quarterback, and he took to Twitter to dispute a take by NFL analyst Greg Cosell.
Warner hits upon a key point. Many of Tagovailoa's detractors want to talk about his ability to function in a system that requires timing and precision. That requires good protection and factors to break his way.
What many fail to touch on in those arguments - and what Warner points out - is that it still takes that precision and accuracy to pull off impactful throws in Mike McDaniel's offense. As Warner notes, if you put Tagtovailoa's touch and accuracy into the skillset of a number of other quarterbacks in this league, their performances are improving significantly.
The numbers certainly back it. Tua's completion percentage and air yards per attempt have been among the best in the league. He led the NFL in passer rating and just about every yards per attempt rating in 2022 while leading the league in passing yards in 2023. He also led the league in passer ratings and big time throws in 2023 in passes thrown under 2.5 seconds. He was tied for fifth in the NFL in big time throws for all passes thrown.
Those aren't things that are the result of the system. They're results of quality, accurate throws for which Tagovailoa doesn't seem to get enough credit still from much of the media.
Warner is correct in Tua needing to be able to move on from his first and second options better this year. That should be easier this year with the addition of some new weapons in the offseason in Odell Beckham, Jr., Jonnu Smith, Malik Washington, and Tahj Washington.
We'll find out by the time training camp arrives whether the Dolphins share the opinion that the former Rams and Cardinals great does about Miami's starting signal-caller, as contract negotiations between both sides continue.
