Dolphins’ Nightmare Might Come True as Tua Tagovailoa Continues to Waste Elite Talent

If it happened, it could be the most heart-wrenching divorce. Tyreek Hill has been on outs with the Dolphins since his unfiltered comments from January caught everyone’s ears. Though quarterback Tua Tagovailoa assured that the star WR is working on mending his relationship with his teammates, all his efforts appear to go down the drain, seeing his sideline temperament following the ugly 33-8 loss at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts (who aren’t even considered a contender this season). All signs point to a possible divorce whose alimony may cost Miami everything. 

Hill, who prides himself as ‘Cheetah’, even challenged Olympic Gold medalist sprinter Noah Lyles; he is not a player to sit idle while his former team continues climbing up the ladder to the Super Bowl. In six years, the Kansas City Chiefs brought home three Vince Lombardi Trophies and five appearances. Meanwhile, the Dolphins haven’t been able to proceed beyond the wild-card round in the playoffs since 2001, even after having Hill on board for the last three seasons. 

After last season’s demise, he admitted, “I’m too much of a competitor to be just out there.” As harsh as his words may be for quitting on his teammates, it seemed justified. It was the first time he didn’t make the playoffs, not even the wild-card round. Although he eventually decided to stay, his words after the Week 1 loss once again echoed his previous emotions of frustration. “This was a big kick in the b*lls for us.”  

Seeing the way both sides of the ball collapsed, followed by Hill venting on the sideline, one couldn’t help but see a potential reunion with the four-time Super Bowl champions. Especially with the entire Kansas City fanbase wishing for this miracle amid receiving room chaos. Suppose it actually happened. Why would it cost the Dolphins everything? Because of dead money. Dolphins’ cap hit for Hill this season is $27.7 million; however, it includes a big chunk as bonus money, which would still be on Miami even if the WR is traded. This would create a dead money charge on their cap, leaving very little wiggle room to sign other players. That’s the definition of a nightmare for them.

As Lyle Graversen of the Arrowhead also pointed out, “The bigger issue would be finding the cap space to make adding Hill possible. Hill’s cap hit for the Dolphins this season is about $27.7 million. However, a big chunk of that is bonus money that wouldn’t go to the team trading for him.”

However, it’s something that is becoming inevitable every time Tagovailoa fumbles on the gridiron. Against the Colts, he went 14-for-23 for 114 yards, a TD, two picks, and a poor passer rating of 51.7. But the most concerning part: he rarely looks downfield. We are talking about a team possessing one of the best deep threats across the league with Hill, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Jaylen Waddle. Yet, the signal-caller fails to consistently hit deep throws most of the time. Such elite talent in the receiving corps with no reliable deep passer is a formula for frustration. 

Dolphins’ offense looks lost with Tua Tagovailoa in command

Despite having the entire offseason (which started right after Week 18) to fix the broken offense, the Dolphins became the first team in the league’s history of nearly half a century to allow points on every opposing drive. The odds were in their favor, yet their defense allowed 418 total yards to the opposing offense, led by Daniel Jones of all people. But none crushed the soul of the offense as much as Tagovailoa’s performance. A lost fumble, three sacks taken, and a couple of interceptions gave the Colts a commanding lead to the Colts. Yet, head coach Mike McDaniel appears oblivion to the crisis at hand. 

“Definitely not all on him,” he told the reporters about Tagovailoa. “Too many people failed at the execution of their jobs for him to have anything extra on his shoulders. Like the rest of the team, [his performance] wasn’t good enough.” That won’t solve things. 

The Pro Bowler appeared alarmingly off his game against Indy. Three turnovers were recorded on the Dolphins’ first four possessions. Including this Week 1, he has consecutively had fumbles in the last three games, along with five interceptions. If this is how they are against a non-contender, games against the AFC’s title contenders like Chiefs, Ravens, Bills, and Bengals will dig a grave for their offense.