“I think it starts with the leadership”, it appears that the Miami Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, has come back a full circle. After stirring up things by publicly calling out players, he faced the team and media with a direct apology, promising to keep the leadership issue in-house. But this cannot shield him from accountability. His play and presence are now under more scrutiny than ever, and he needs to act fast.

The QB needs to prove himself if he wants to stick around in Miami beyond this season. He needs to regain the confidence of an increasingly frustrated locker room. Although his job is secure for the season, experts have a brutal opinion about his future with the franchise. Even compelling experts to weigh in and voice their opinion.

Mike Florio speaking on NFL on NBC added, “He’s (Tua) been the man of the moment in Miami for bad reasons after what he said on Sunday. The effort to clean it up on Wednesday. It’s going to be rainy. It’s going to be windy. This is an opportunity for Tagovailoa to maybe change some narratives and get a much needed win for the Dolphins because if they lose to the Browns, that could be it for Mike McDaniel.”

In a recent CBS Sports mock draft, analyst Josh Edwards projected the Dolphins to take Oregon quarterback Dante Moore with the fifth overall pick. “Dante Moore was volatile as a true freshman at UCLA in 2023, but a year on the bench at Oregon behind Dillon Gabriel has served him well.” This projection speaks volumes about Miami’s take. As the team looks at a complete overhaul ahead of the 2026 season, Moore can bring in what Tua currently may not able to provide.

Yes Tua may have been a franchise QB in the past, but is he the same guy anymore? Yes, he may still be productive but do his recent actions and stat line paint a good enough picture? 69.8% of his passes for 1,213 yards to 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Moore, on the other hand has completed 72% of his passes for 1396 yards to 15 touchdowns and three interceptions.

With the stats showing a stark difference, Moore can be their go-to guy. His resume speaks for itself. In all his 6 appearances this season, he has managed 1,396 yards and 15 touchdowns. Apart from a standout performance of Tua against the New England Patriots, with 26 of 32 passes with 315 yards, he has struggled in all his appearances, racking just 11 touchdowns and a QBR of 50.7.

Tua apologizes for his comments

“I made a mistake. I’m owning up to that right now,” Tua remarked. “I’ve talked to the guys on the team about it, talked to the leaders about it. They know my heart. They know that the intent was right, but no matter the intent. The intent can be right, but when things get misconstrued or portrayed in a certain way by the media. That leaves a void of silence and a lot of questions for the guys on our team.”

“Now, being 1-5, we talk a lot about we’ve got to get this going. … Come in excited to go to work, forget about the noise, and I feel like I added on to that for our guys. For myself, I’ve got to look at myself as a leader, protecting the team. I don’t feel like I did that to the best of my abilities. I felt like I let the emotions of the game get to me after the game and that’s something that I can learn from as a leader on this team. What happens in-house should be protected and none of that should have gotten out. So want to publicly apologize about that. Want to move forward and focus on the Cleveland Browns.”

The Dolphins head coach, Mike McDaniel, also addressed the situation after Tua’s postgame comments and called them “misguided”. He also tried to justify that his quarterback’s statements were made in the wrong setting. Several other players, like Patrick Paul, Aaron Brewer, and Rasul Douglas, also weighed in and emphasized that the team’s matters should stay inside the perimeter.