Are the Miami Dolphins keeping all options on table with Tua Tagovailoa?

The Miami Dolphins are keeping all options on the table

The Miami Dolphins are entering an exciting era as a franchise. Accelerating their rebuild, they have found early success under head coach Brian Flores. Now even more exciting, 2020 NFL Draft fifth overall pick and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is set to make his first start as the face of the franchise for the Dolphins.

While the right for excitement is warranted for the former National Champion winning quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist, the intentions of the Dolphins may be out of the need to see Tagovailoa in action now to weigh all of their options.

After trading left tackle Laremy Tunsil before the 2019, obtaining two first round picks of the Houston Texans, they now find themselves in a peculiar situation. As the Texans sit with one win, a fired head coach, and in purgatory with no salary cap space or draft assets, the Dolphins now sit with a likely top-five pick.

Will Miami Dolphins consider Fields or Lawrence if given the chance?

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Just today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the decision to play Tagovailoa now, after the bye week, was partly determined by their need to keep all options on the table. With “a trove of draft picks,” the Dolphins will likely take a deep look at either Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State’s Justin Fields if the pick acquired from Houston falls in the top-two of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Fields, a Heisman finalist from a year ago, is well on his way back to New York this year after starting on a hot pace with the Buckeyes through two games. Defeating both the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Penn State Nittany Lions, Fields has completed an astounding 87 percent of his passes, throwing for six touchdowns and no interceptions; he has tossed for nearly 600 yards as well.

Lawrence, on the other hand, has been the golden ticket of the 2021 NFL Draft class as he and the Clemson Tigers look to get back to a third straight National Championship game. Thought of as the best prospect since Andrew Luck in 2012, Lawrence has thrown for 17 touchdowns and two interceptions in six games; he has tossed for over 1,800 yards and completed passes at nearly a 71 percent clip for the Tigers in 2020.

What should the Miami Dolphins do?

In all honesty, the Dolphins are playing this as smart as possible. Looking at the cornerstone positions in the league, frequently identified as the quarterback, offensive tackle, pass rusher, wide receiver, and cornerback, the Dolphins have nailed down most of those positions with four picks in the top-50 still this year.

While wide receiver and edge rusher are still a need in Miami, they have locked down Byron Jones, Xavien Howard, and used one of their first rounders a year ago on Noah Igbinoghene. Offensive tackle is the same as they drafted Austin Jackson in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

With this being said, teams have no success without their guy under-center, and the Dolphins are correct to make sure Tagovailoa is their guy. Getting him on the field and getting as many reps on tape for their rookie quarterback to decide if Tua is the man for the future before the 2021 NFL Draft makes for a wise decision.