5 players the Dolphins need to play well to beat the Patriots in Week 1

1. QB Tua Tagovailoa

When Tagovailoa struggled in a couple of his starts as a rookie, Flores pulled him in favor ofusing Ryan Fitzpatrick as a closer of sorts. With Fitzpatrick clearly not coming back this offseason, the priority to not have a similar threat around landed the Dolphins on Jacoby Brissett a their No.2 quarterback. That was as much a profession of faith in Tagovailoa as it was an effort to protect him from calls for him to be benched as soon as he struggled this year.

The Dolphins drafted Waddle, who as previously mentioned played with Tagovailoa at Alabama. The addition of Fuller as a deep threat was notable, but he’ll serve the final game of a PED suspension on Sunday. The offensive line was added to, if not naturally upgraded, this offseason.

Overall, with roots in an odd offseason, no preseason games to play in and not being that far removed from a major hip injury, Tagovailoa had ups and downs as a rookie and the Dolphins’ offense looked markedly different when he played.

This season, even as Deshaun Watson trade rumors linger, it’s Tagovailoa’s show under center for the Dolphins until further notice. He doesn’t have to necessarily throw for 300 yards for Miami to win on Sunday, but an efficient showing mixed with occasional willingness to let it loose downfield will be a good sign for his growth.