What the Dolphins Must Do to Better Support Tua Tagovailoa

The Miami Dolphins are two games into the Tua Tagovailoa era. While the rookie quarterback has had his ups and downs through his two starts, the Dolphins are 2-0 with him under center and have a realistic shot at pushing for the playoffs.

However, the postseason isn't the only goal for the second half of the season—or necessarily even the main one.

Evaluating Tagovailoa ahead of the 2021 draft will be a priority, as Miami owns the Houston Texans' first-round pick and could potentially target another quarterback early. If Miami determines that such a move isn't necessary and that Tagovailoa is the future at quarterback, then developing him for the future—while also keeping him healthy—will be priority No. 1.

If the Dolphins happen to make the postseason along the way, terrific. Still, the remainder of the season must be about their first-year signal-caller. Here, we'll examine three steps the Dolphins can take to best support him.

Keep Tagovailoa out of Harm's Way

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According to Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, Tagovailoa is 100 percent healthy and playing like the same quarterback he was at Alabama.

"I can't see a real difference. So physically is the one thing that you had the concern about, and I think he kind of relieved all our thoughts about that the other night," Gailey said, per the Palm Beach Post (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

Tagovailoa, of course, suffered a fractured and dislocated hip roughly a year ago, so the fact that he's at 100 percent is tremendous. Now, the Dolphins need to ensure that he stays that way.

In his two starts, Tagovailoa has only been sacked four times. That's not terrible, but he was sacked three times against the Arizona Cardinals. Miami needs to ensure that the sack totals don't continue to rise. Whether this is accomplished by utilizing max protection schemes, getting the ball out on short timing throws or leaning heavily on the run, keeping Tagovailoa upright and on the field is a necessity.

Get More Consistency out of the Ground Game

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This one is easier in theory than it will be in practice, especially with Myles Gaskin on injured reserve. However, the Dolphins must find a way to field a more consistent running game. Doing so will help take pressure off of Tagovailoa and prevent him from taking on defenders himself.

Tagovailoa carried the ball seven times against Arizona and provided 35 of the team's 91 rushing yards. That cannot be a trend.

Miami needs to improve its 26th-ranked rushing attack, and it shouldn't do so with designed quarterback runs. This could require more of rookie Salvon Ahmed, less of Jordan Howard—who is averaging just 1.2 yards per carry—and immediate use of trade acquisition DeAndre Washington or a trip to the free-agent market.

A strong rushing attack can be a young quarterback's biggest asset. Miami needs to do everything in its power to ensure that Tagovailoa has one.

Protect Tagovailoa's Confidence

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When making the switch to Tagovailoa from Ryan Fitzpatrick, coach Brian Flores made it clear the team had confidence in the rookie.

"We feel like that's the best thing for the team. We feel like through practice and meetings and walkthroughs that he's ready, and that's how we're going to move going forward," Flores said, per Patra.

The Dolphins need to continue instilling confidence in their young signal-caller. This means sticking by Tagovailoa even when he struggles—as he did in his starting debut two weeks ago. Miami must avoid the temptation to turn back to Fitzpatrick if Tagovailoa starts to slump and a playoff berth begins to slip away because of it.

While missing the playoffs would be a disappointment, damaging Tagovailoa's confidence would be more harmful in the long term.

This may seem like common sense, but the fans only need to look to Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to see that it's a real concern. Mayfield oozed confidence during his record-setting rookie season, but he has been a different player since, and he may not be Cleveland's long-term answer under center because of it.