Dolphins' Brian Flores Says He Won't Be Pressured into Naming Tua Starting QB

While the Miami Dolphins fell to 1-3 with a 31-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, head coach Brian Flores won't accelerate the timeline for Tua Tagovailoa's debut as he continues his recovery from a dislocated hip.

Flores said Monday that he won't elevate Tagovailoa into the starting role until the rookie quarterback is physically ready, per ESPN's Cameron Wolfe:

"He's checked all the boxes from a medical standpoint. He has. Look, the honest thing for me is if it was my kid, and he had a serious injury like that, I wouldn't want his coach to throw him in there because of media pressure or anything like that. That's kind of how I approach this situation and really all situations. The players, essentially, they are my kids. So no one is going to pressure me into doing anything. When we feel like he's ready to go, we'll put him in."

Since Tagovailoa is working his way back from a significant injury, the outside pressure to elevate him into the starting role is less acute than it otherwise would be.

The Dolphins' record is disappointing after they spent big in free agency, and starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 994 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. The 37-year-old is serving as a placeholder until Tagovailoa takes over.

Under normal circumstances, the Dolphins' rough start to the season might warrant a quarterback change. Plenty of teams have intended for a veteran to hold down the fort while a rookie QB learns from the sideline, only to change course earlier than expected.

That doesn't appear to be the case in Miami. In September, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the Dolphins preferred to have Tagovailoa sit for the entire season and take what is in effect a redshirt year.

The more the losses pile up, the more unlikely it may become that Tagovailoa plays. It wouldn't make sense for the Dolphins to jeopardize the long-term health of their potential franchise quarterback in the midst of a losing season.