Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill says that this is a make-or-break year for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Miami Dolphins held the fifth-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and they sued it on Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Through his first two years, he has not experienced the highs on the football field like he did in college. Not only that, but he is being compared heavily to fellow 2020 classmates Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, who have been successful through the first two years of their careers.
Fans and media alike know that this could very well be a make-or-break year for Tagovailoa. His new star wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, expressed his belief in the latest episode of his “It Needed to be Said” podcast that this could be Tagovailoa’s last shot to show the Dolphins what he has.
“You know, in the NFL they only give you like two or three years to be a successful quarterback, especially if you’re a first-round draft pick,” Hill said, h/t NFL.com. “And if you don’t succeed after those years, then it’s, ‘kick rocks, man.’ So, basically, they’re going to put Tua into that. So this is basically his last year, man, just to show people what he got.”
Tyreek Hill says it’s Tua Tagovailoa’s ‘last year’ to show what he has
The third year is a pivotal year for first-round quarterbacks, as the following offseason, the team has to determine whether they will exercise their fifth-year option. Look at this offseason, for example. The Arizona Cardinals exercised the fifth-year option on Kyler Murray, while the New York Giants opted against doing so with Daniel Jones.
Tagovailoa’s third season could help determine whether he is the answer, or if they have to look elsewhere. The Dolphins certainly gave him everything to succeed this offseason.
He has a new head coach in Mike McDaniel, the former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator. The team acquired Hill to add to their passing attack alongside fellow wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and tight end Mike Gesicki. Miami bolstered the offensive line by signing tackle Terron Armstead and guard Connor Williams. Finally, they have a new rushing attack consisting of Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, and Sony Michel.
Even with the harsh words, Hill still says he has the utmost belief in Tagovailoa, and that he can’t wait for him to prove the critics wrong.
“It’s gonna be a lot of people taking their words back on what they said about [Tua],” Hill said, h/t NFL.com. “I can’t really name point, but I’m saying reporters, analysts, Twitter trolls. All those people are gonna take their words back on what they said about [Tua], and I’m just gonna be sitting there, eating my popcorn.”
Tagovailoa will be a player that is monitored heavily throughout the preseason, and the evaluations will begin as early as Week 1, when the Dolphins take on the New England Patriots.