The Miami Dolphins' 2024 campaign was disastrous on several fronts, but nothing stood out more than their utter incompetence without Tua Tagovailoa. Rather than an indication of Tua's greatness, it reflects more on the stark lack of alternatives. When your best pinch-hit options are Scoop Huntley and Skyler Thompson, it's grim.
Tagovailoa's reputation is understandably complicated, but he knows the Dolphins' offense like the back of his hand. There's a reason Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have experienced so much success in Miami; Tagovailoa gets the ball out quickly and knows exactly where to go with it. Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins' fine-tuned scheme undoubtedly inflate Tua's numbers — as well as his wideouts' production — but it's a two-way street.
Under contract through 2028 at an exorbitant number, Tua's job seems safe on the surface. He has a close bond to McDaniel and he has found through hell and high water (i.e., several concussions) to be available for this team. Last season was a disappointment, but Tagovailoa's Dolphins have otherwise been a perennial postseason presence (if not much of a threat). This team is built to win plenty of games at full strength.
And yet, one can't help but wonder if a different quarterback might steal the spotlight and elevate Miami's ceiling in a way Tagovailoa simply cannot. Enter... Zach Wilson?
Mike McDaniel has plenty of praise for Zach Wilson as Dolphins QB room takes shape
Tagovailoa was limited to 11 games last season due to (another) concussion. He has now missed at least four games in four of five NFL seasons. Durability is not a given, so naturally, Miami invested more seriously in his backup this spring. Zach Wilson, the former No. 2 pick and division rival from the New York Jets, is set to learn the ropes from Tagovailoa in training camp.
Wilson spent last season out of sight and mostly out of mind with the Denver Broncos, but there was considerable buzz around his performance in the preseason. Had Bo Nix not made such an immediate ascent to stardom, we might've seen him in Sean Payton's offense. Now he gets a chance to pick up McDaniel's scheme, surrounded (in theory) by two of the most explosive pass-catchers in football.
This is Tagovailoa's offense, but Wilson continues to steadfastly generate hype in the shadows. Listen to McDaniel explain why the Dolphins targeted Wilson, and you might just get the sense that Tua's job isn't so safe after all.
"I guess you guys wouldn't know this," McDaniel told Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post. "I guess you guys are flying blind, so let me help you out. He was a direct, calculated target."
More than a direct target, Wilson is a quarterback McDaniel has been eyeing for a long time — ever since his days as a top prospect at Brigham Young.
"We drafted a quarterback in San Francisco the year he came out," McDaniel said. "I watched every snap of his collegiate play. He was a phenomenal talent that in my opinion didn't have reps in an NFL pocket yet. At BYU, he was launching it from about 10-11 yards deep, and you're not in the phone booth. And so for my estimation, there was going to be some nuance to growth to his game. I think it's close to impossible to excel that early in that new form of football that he was playing. That's powerful to me."
So, if we take McDaniel at his word, Wilson's slow NFL start was no surprise. His growth in the years since, even if it has happened almost exclusively behind the scenes, could hint at a much brighter future. Miami runs a tight ship offensively, and if Wilson can lock into the timing of it all, his mobility and arm strength are mighty appealing. That is, if he ever sees the field.
Tagovailoa is going start the season under center. Without doubt. If he gets hurt again, however, or if Miami struggles to get back into the postseason mix, there's a not-impossible timeline in which Wilson gets a look. He certainly presents a different skills package than Tagovailoa — more volatile, but also more explosive. Perhaps that is exactly what the Dolphins need.