One factor that contributed to the Miami Dolphins ‘decision to name rookie Tua Tagovailoa as their starting quarterback was the fact that Miami owns the Houston Texans’ NFL picks for the first and second rounds in next year’s NFL draft divided league -Sources with ESPN.
The dolphins need to know what they have in Tagovailoa when they enter the 2021 draft in the first two rounds with two picks each, thanks to their trade last year that sent Laremy Tunsil left to the Texans.
“That’s definitely part of it,” a source close to the Dolphins’ thinking told ESPN about Miami’s recent decision to replace popular veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick with Tagovailoa. “Whoever told you that was right.”
These additional tips from Houston, both of which could potentially make high selections in their respective rounds, still made it important for Miami to learn about Tagovailoa. Houston is one of five NFL teams with just one win of the season, and those teams are battling it out for number 1 with the league’s only winning team, the New York Jets.
Having Houston’s first round pick, the Dolphins could be in the best position for one of the design’s top-rated quarterbacks, be it Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields of Ohio, or Trey Lance of North Dakota.
Miami turned to Tagovailoa during their bye week, with 10 more games this season, at a time when Fitzpatrick was shining. Everyone knew that at some point it would be Tagovailoa’s turn; The surprise was that it came after week 6 when it happened.
Tagovailoa will begin his first career against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. The former Alabama star made his NFL debut on October 18 in the final minutes of the Dolphins’ victory over the Jets, ending both pass attempts.
Brian Flores, Dolphins’ coach, as he explained the organization’s rationale for the quarterback move, shared the improvement in Tagovailoa’s practice and readiness, as well as the overall feeling within the organization that it was time.
“We feel like he’s ready through practice meetings and runs and that’s how we’re moving,” said Flores on October 21.[Fitzpatrick] did a great job. … It’s not an easy decision for me or for us as an organization, but we felt like we were for the team now and moving forward, that’s the step we had to take. “
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