Dolphins player has critical assessment of Tua Tagovailoa’s leadership

There has been a lot of finger-pointing when it comes to why the Miami Dolphins have struggled so much in 2021. Some players believe it’s down to a leadership void that the likes of Tua Tagovailoa aren’t filling.

According to Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel, many in the Miami locker room blame the loss of key veteran leaders from the 2020 team for the team’s 1-6 start to 2021. Among those missed is quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who won the team’s leadership award in 2020 but moved on to Washington in the offseason.

One anonymous player compared Fitzpatrick to Tagovailoa, saying the second-year quarterback is doing his best but simply doesn’t lead as well as Fitzpatrick did.

“He’s great, and he’s trying. But it’s not Fitz,” the player told Kelly.

Whether Tagovailoa can lead an offense has been one of the big questions about him. Coach Brian Flores had praised him for his offseason leadership work, but the fact that Tagovailoa was not elected a team captain raised some eyebrows.

To be fair, the player isn’t necessarily saying Tagovailoa is a bad leader — just not as good as Fitzpatrick. It’s not clear if the team’s brass shares that feeling, but it could be one reason the team appears very interested in bringing in someone new.

Photo: Oct 15, 2021; Ware, United Kingdom; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) at a press conference at the Hanbury Marriott Manor and Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports