He was 6-3 in his rookie season as the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, but the jury is out on how good Tua Tagovailoa can be at the position.
After being selected No. 5 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, he totaled 1,814 passing yards with 11 touchdowns to five interceptions.
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The native Hawaiian flashed signs of potential greatness with a pair of 300-yard passing performances; however, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow posted better numbers as rookies last season. Miami has been rumored as one of the teams in the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes, but it also wants to move on with Tagovailoa. It has two picks in the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft, and most draft pundits believe the Dolphins will take a wide receiver. Quinnen Williams, a former University of Alabama defensive lineman, enters his third year with the New York Jets in the fall. He and Tagovailoa played together in 2017 and 2018.
Both produced special seasons in 2018. Tagovailoa set the school’s single-season passing record as a first-year starter.
He recorded 3,966 passing yards with 43 scoring tosses. Tagovailoa was responsible for 48 total scores and captured many individual honors.
He helped the Crimson Tide win a Southeastern Conference championship and earn a berth in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship Game. As for Williams, he led the Tide’s defense in tackles for loss (19.5) and sacks (eight) while having 12 quarterback pressures.
He won the Outland Trophy that year and was selected third overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.
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Last week, Williams was featured on the Zach Gelb Show via CBS Sports Radio.
Tagovailoa was a topic in the conversation, and Williams sees his former teammates being a superstar in the pros.
*Williams talks on Tagovailoa at the 7:30 mark
“I think he can be an amazing quarterback,” Williams said of Tagovailoa on the Zach Gelb Show. “He is an amazing leader. He has a great arm. He is a great player, a great leader, just a great teammate in general.”
Williams knows the NFL is a business. It takes some players a little longer to adjust than others.
He saw Tagovailoa come off the bench as a freshman in the 2018 CFP National Championship Game and recused Alabama to a national title. Williams also witnessed the former five-star introduce the term “joyless murderball” in the 2018 regular season, as Tagovailoa led an offensive showcase. He finished as a Heisman finalist, SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and an All-American.
Williams sees big things from Tagovailoa as he enters his second year in the league.
“He probably struggled his first year, but I’m pretty sure he’s not going to struggle in his second year,” Williams said.
Miami has the quarterback. It needs to keep Tagovailoa healthy and surround him with playmakers.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith
