The Miami Dolphins are in a delicate position heading into the 2025 season. After missing the playoffs last year, the outlook for the entire franchise has taken a U-turn. Tyreek Hill seemingly wanted out before backtracking his comments. Questions about Tua Tagovailoa, both as a player and on the injury front, continue to mount. Add in criticisms about the defense as a whole, and it is a tall order ahead for the Dolphins.
However, their leader and quarterback isn’t losing hope. Showcasing a far more mature personality this offseason, Tagovailoa seems to be embracing the leadership role. It’s going to be interesting to see how the new attitude plays out on the field. But so far, he has been crystal clear in his optimism for Miami next year and their chances against the field.
Can Tua Tagovailoa Lead the Miami Dolphins?
Since joining the team as a first-round pick in 2020, Tagovailoa has slowly found his rhythm in the NFL. The arrival of Hill in 2022 really set his career ablaze, with a dramatic upswing in production from the young quarterback.
Additionally, it also coincided with success in the win column, as the Dolphins made the playoffs in 2022 and 2023. However, an injury forced the league leader in passer rating to miss six games last year. As a result, the team fell short of the playoffs.
It led to a ton of drama with Hill, who publicly demanded a trade from the organization before backtracking in the offseason. And put a real question mark on the ceiling of the roster and the team as a whole.
But, Tagovailoa, who’s embraced a leader’s role with the wide receiver situation, isn’t selling his team short. Instead, he made his stance crystal clear during an appearance on the “Back Together Weekend” show on the NFL Network.
“It starts with me not putting myself in situations where I can’t be available for my team.” It was all about accountability from Tagovailoa as the key to success. “If I can stay healthy for our guys, I believe and I believe the team believes that I give us the best chance to potentially go do what we say we wanna do.”
Tua Tagovailoa points to his ability to stay healthy along with team consistency as the keys for the @MiamiDolphins to surpass expectations this season.
Back Together Weekend – July 26-27 on @NFLNetwork
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/qkJkUSw5Hr— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) July 26, 2025
Beyond that, he believes consistency from the entire squad is going to go a long way in proving the doubters wrong. And the doubters’ voices have gotten a little too loud for his personal liking. “A lot of the guys on the team, we hear the noise.”
As a result, his focus is entirely on what he and the rest of the roster can do to change their minds and give Miami the respect he believes they deserve.