Miami Dolphins finally have a franchise quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa

The Miami Dolphins are beginning a new era and have a franchise quarterback to build upon.

The Dolphins on Thursday selected Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick in the draft. They shook aside any questions about Tagovailoa’s medical history and recovery from hip surgery and decided he was their guy.

This outcome is not too surprising.

Miami went into the 2019 season effectively with the plan of tanking. They traded away Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills to Houston, and dealt Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh. They got destroyed in their first few games of season before turning things around late and winning five games. But it was clear the front office’s intention was to accumulate draft picks and build for a future in the AFC East when the Patriots would be weakened. Their plan worked out.

The Dolphins got the quarterback I believe they wanted all along, and they still had four more picks in the top 56 to do damage with. They also had a big offseason in free agency, adding Byron Jones and Kyle Van Noy to their defense. The Patriots, who have dominated the AFC East the past two decades, are moving on from Tom Brady.

Miami could not have timed their rebuild any better, and now they have a quarterback who has great upside. Was Tua the product of playing alongside talented offensive weapons and a good line? To some extent he was, but he’s an accurate and mobile quarterback who should put up big numbers in the NFL.