Tua Tagovailoa is clearly ready to put his injury-plagued 2022 NFL season behind him.
The Miami Dolphins quarterback entered concussion protocol a whopping three times last season. Tagovailoa’s health became the biggest story of Miami’s campaign — one that started out with so much promise.
The Dolphins held an 8-3 record through Week 12, which placed them in the AFC’s top three along with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs at the time. There was legitimate Super Bowl buzz surrounding the upstart Dolphins before a late-season slide down the standings dropped them to 9-8 for the season.
Months removed from the injuries and Miami’s Wild Card exit without him, Tagovailoa sees the Dolphins as a “dangerous” team heading into next season. On Tuesday, the Dolphins QB was asked by The Palm Beach Post’s Joe Schad about Miami’s legitimacy as AFC contenders. Tua didn’t mince words.
“I think we’re definitely legit contenders,” Tagovailoa answered. “There’s no doubt with the guys we have on the defensive side of the ball. With the guys we have on the offensive side of the ball. And now with this being the first time as an offense, we get to come back understanding the plays already kind of molded into the offense a little more, I think. I think it can get very, very scary, pretty dangerous.”
It’s not the first time a Dolphins player pointed to familiarity as one of the reasons to fear Miami next season. Star wide receiver Tyreek Hill recently mentioned that the one year with Mike McDaniel under the team’s belt will prove to be a huge boost. McDaniel proved himself to be one of the rising stars among NFL coaches in just his first season and will likely cook up even more creative schemes for Year 2.
On the other side of the field, the Dolphins added Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator and traded for 3-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
The Dolphins indeed have the look of a contender on paper. But it’s all talk until they prove it on the field.
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