Evaluator shares why Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa isn't a top 10 QB

For an article published on Monday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared that league executives, coaches and scouts surveyed ahead of training camp elected against ranking Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins among the NFL's top 10 quarterbacks.

"I feel like everybody knows what he is: A good player with some limitations," a veteran NFL personnel evaluator said about Tagovailoa. "He's a matchup nightmare some weeks. He's really good when he's in rhythm and gets the ball out in time. He can be hard to beat when he's throwing with touch and anticipation."

In April 2023, Tagovailoa admitted that he considered retiring as an active player after he suffered a minimum of two reported concussions during the 2022 campaign. He then started every game for Miami last season, and Pro Football Reference stats show that the 26-year-old took only 29 sacks during the campaign. To compare, Sam Howell of the Seattle Seahawks was sacked a league-most 65 times.

Tagovailoa ended Week 18 in January ranked first in the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, 10th among qualified players with a 60.8 adjusted QBR and fifth with a 101.1 passer rating. With that said, the Dolphins lost their final three games of the season, including a wild-card playoff showdown at the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

"Though he doesn't have the big arm and mobility, his short-to-intermediate stuff is really impressive, and I just think he sees the game really well," one NFC executive said about Tagovailoa. "And what they do around him (in Mike McDaniel's offense) is brilliant."

Tagovailoa's future could become an interesting talking point if he remains in the final year of his rookie contract through early September. While Miami could retain Tagovailoa's rights for 2025 via the franchise tag, it's believed the club wants to lock him down via an extension before Week 1.

However, Tagovailoa may be waiting to see what type of deal Jordan Love receives from the Green Bay Packers after Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence inked a five-year contract extension worth up to $275M with $142M fully guaranteed at signing last month.

Logic suggests Tagovailoa will want to be paid like an elite quarterback even if some within the NFL don't view him as one.