Brian Flores took it upon himself to push the Dolphins in a new direction under center in 2020, even if there were a few bumps in the road.
He's hoping for a smoother ride in 2021. Tua Tagovailoa's second NFL season hasn't yet begun, but has already drawn speculation that his Dolphins, seated third in the 2021 draft thanks to the pick they acquired from Houston, might entertain taking another quarterback in the top five.
Miami selected Tagovailoa fifth overall less than one year ago, when he was still just taking his first steps out of rehab for his significant hip injury, and was still months from his first NFL start. When Flores threw him in the fire near the midway point of Tagovailoa's rookie season, he showed flashes, and also predictably endured some struggles.
Such a mix is to be expected; It's more of a surprise when it doesn't happen for rookie quarterbacks. Flores also knows Tagovailoa didn't have a usual ramp-up to his first NFL season, and while he's heard the chatter, he's keeping the focus on his young signal-caller, who he thinks will make a significant jump from year one to two.
"My reaction is I'm excited to work with Tua," Flores said when asked for his reaction to the speculation regarding the quarterback position. "I think I just mentioned that after the last question. That's where my interests are, that's where my excitement is. Again like I said, he's a talented player. We, here, believe in developing players at all positions and I think with an offseason, with OTAs, with more reps, more repetitions, like any player, I think they develop and get better.
"I think he feels the same way. Look, Tua and I had lunch yesterday. We talk about his family, and I think a lot of that development is about building relationships. He's doing well, he's confident, I'm confident in him, and I'm looking forward to this offseason."
Despite selecting the projected future of the franchise, Miami isn't as firm in its quarterback situation than some other teams with similarly younger signal-callers. That's not solely because of Tagovailoa, but also because of how the Dolphins attempted to remain in contention, turning to veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick to rescue them in games in which it became clear Tagovailoa didn't give them their best chance of victory. The insertion of Fitzpatrick and marked improvement in key moments sowed a bit of skepticism when it came to Miami's situation at the position.
Because of this, and Tagovailoa's appointment to the starting role despite Fitzpatrick not necessarily deserving to be benched when he was, it feels as if Fitzpatrick is headed elsewhere in 2021. This is Tua's show now, as it should be.
Then again, the second most important player on a team is the backup quarterback, after all, and Fitzpatrick proved he's a good one.
"We'd love to have him back, but this is a very unique year from the cap standpoint," Flores said of Fitzpatrick, via the Sun-Sentinel's Safid Deen. "Those conversations are fluid."
Fitzpatrick will have a strong market for his services, and the Dolphins might not be able to afford him. A cheaper route might be necessary, meaning it truly will be Tagovailoa's show -- and it'll be up to him to prove he can be Miami's guy.
