What is quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s role with Miami Dolphins?

When will Tua start?

Everyone is dying to know the answer to this question, and everyone thinks they know the answer. Unfortunately, no one knows the answer, not even Tua himself. After the magic of the final nine games last season, this is Ryan Fitzpatrick’s locker room, for now. Eventually Tua will see the field, and it will be absolutely electric.

The reality of the situation is that the 2020 off-season has virtually killed any chance of Tua playing in September. So many crucial reps that he would have needed to get ready are gone. He’s currently at the facility to help rehabilitate his injury, but he still isn’t getting any reps with his new teammates.

Another big reason that he shouldn’t see the field until about mid season is the schedule relative to his offensive line. Miami will be starting four new offensive linemen, and two of them are rookies. The schedule for those first eight games? Patriots, Bills, Jaguars, Seahawks, 49ers, Broncos, Chargers, and Rams. Every single one of those eight teams can get after the passer. Combine that with the extremely inexperienced offensive line and you get a recipe for disaster. If you know he’s going to take a beating, why play him?

The final and most important reason why Tua does not need to see the field early on is his hip injury. His injury occurred in November of 2019. It would be wise to allow his body to have a full year of recovery from major hip surgery. This would also allow him to spend two months practicing and recouping those reps he lost in the spring and summer. The best guess for when Tua should start? November 8th against the Arizona Cardinals or November 29th after the bye against the Jets.