How Mike McDaniel Can Salvage the Tua Tagovailoa Era in Miami

New Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel sounds like he's ready to bring another lifeline to the Tua Tagovailoa era with more support and a system that's withstood the test of time.

As McDaniel has made his media rounds, he's touted Tagovailoa as the team's starting quarterback despite the signal-caller's inconsistencies over the past two years. The 24-year-old has thrown for 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions through 23 contests.

However, Tagovailoa offers more upside than the underwhelming crop of quarterbacks in the 2022 draft and a few veterans set to hit the open market with a chance to revitalize their careers (Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota and Mitchell Trubisky). Furthermore, the fifth pick of the 2020 draft has had flashes that suggest he could flourish in the right situation.

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier also shut down trade chatter that linked the team to Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson:

Starting with offseason moves, what can the Dolphins do to help Tagovailoa?

First, Grier and McDaniel must strengthen the offensive line, which tied for 11th in sacks allowed and seemed out of sorts because of the unsettled personnel groupings. In 2021, rookie Liam Eichenberg lined up at both tackle positions.

Second-year pro Austin Jackson played left tackle and left guard. Jesse Davis played right tackle and left guard. Michael Deiter missed nine games because of foot and quad injuries, which thrust Austin Reiter and Greg Mancz into the starting spot.

On top of that, Tagovailoa had poor protection on the perimeter. Eichenberg and Davis played most of their snaps at left tackle and right tackle, respectively, giving up 17 combined sacks, per Pro Football Focus. 

Dan Le Batard, a well-known sports scribe and radio host in Miami, asked McDaniel about the Dolphins offensive line. The rookie head coach noted that he would make some changes and develop players within the group (h/t Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).

"I have watched the tape. I see ... some pieces to work with," McDaniel said. "It's a point of emphasis. I'm making sure we have guys that can teach what we need to teach. We add players that are of value, and we emphasize stuff."

Eichenberg will go into his second campaign, so the coaching staff has plenty of time to mold him into a starting-caliber tackle. Davis has started in 72 out of 80 games for the team since 2017, mostly on the right side of the line, but he turns 31 years old in September. At his age, with issues in pass protection, the veteran isn't a quality first-stringer.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Perhaps the Dolphins, who will have a projected $60.2 million to spend, per Over the Cap, pursue three-time Pro Bowl tackle Terron Armstead in free agency.

They can also add a tackle with one of their two top-50 draft picks. Bernhard Raimann is a bit raw because of his inexperience at the position but showed significant growth in a short period at Central Michigan. At 6'4", 324 pounds, Kentucky's Darian Kinnard can become a protective wall on Tagovailoa's blind side.

Northern Iowa's Trevor Penning boosted his draft stock during Senior Bowl week, which may put him in the top-20 range. If he slips to No. 29, though, Miami should consider drafting him.

McDaniel can also attempt to lure free-agent guard Laken Tomlinson to Miami. They worked together for five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2017-2021), while the former served as the run game coordinator and offensive coordinator under Kyle Shanahan. Coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign, the seven-year veteran can teach the system to the younger offensive linemen, which leads us to a wider scope of focus for the offense.

While talking to Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official website, McDaniel emphasized the importance of the ground game (h/t Jackson).

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[A good] run game empowers the quarterback. There are a lot of people pretty excited about throwing the ball. That gives an advantage to people who try to run the ball. When you run the ball, you're taking time off the clock. Because you have to have the ball to score unless you turn it over, there will always be a competitive advantage if you run the ball well.

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In order to run the ball effectively, Miami must improve in the trenches. With an unstable offensive line, the club accumulated the third-fewest rushing yards and averaged 3.5 yards per carry (ranked 31st) in 2021.

Along with a couple of additions to the offensive line, the Dolphins should consider proven running backs in Leonard Fournette, Melvin Gordon III or even Raheem Mostert, who's injury-prone but knows the system in San Francisco, averaging 5.7 yards per carry since the 2017 term.

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

In the third or fourth round of the draft, Miami may have a chance to select Florida's Dameon Pierce or Georgia's James Cook. 

At 5'10", 215 pounds, Pierce runs downhill with a purpose and hits holes without wasted movement, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and scoring 23 touchdowns through four collegiate terms.

Meanwhile, Cook can easily rack up scrimmage yards with his dual-threat capabilities as a ball-carrier and receiver in the short passing game. He logged 67 receptions for 730 yards and six touchdowns at Georgia. Both can round out a solid running back stable with Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed. 

With a viable ground attack, McDaniel can continue to design plays that worked in Tagovailoa's favor this past season. He led the league in passing yards (847) out of run-pass option plays and ranked 14th in passing yards (990) out of play action despite missing four games.

The Dolphins' ability to threaten defenses with the run can open up the field for their wide receivers, particularly Jaylen Waddle, who led all 2021 rookies in receptions (104). If you ask McDaniel's opinion of him, he could become one of the NFL's brightest stars.

"I talked with him [the day after being hired], and he understands his leadership role on this team," McDaniel said about Waddle to Le Batard. "The easiest way to get yards is to give it to a really talented player. I would start him in fantasy leagues." 

Doug Murray/Associated Press

Dolphins wide receivers coach Wes Welker compared Waddle to Kansas City Chiefs' three-time All-Pro Tyreek Hill via Alain Poupart of SI.com. 

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I think it's acceleration. Especially like when he gets a ball in my hand. We've got the ball in his hands, it's kind of Tyreek Hill-ish, how he's just able to get that ball and really burst out of it. A little bit different body types and stuff. But I kind of that's what came to mind whenever I was kind of watching him coming to Alabama and seeing him on film here.

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Coming off back-to-back winning seasons under former head coach Brian Flores, the Dolphins have a decent roster. However, their potential growth and stability can take the franchise to another level with Tagovailoa under center.

McDaniel can add and establish principles of Shanahan's outside zone run system via coaching and acquisitions from free agency or the draft, further aiding his quarterback's progress. If he meshes that with more RPO and play-action designs, Tagovailoa—who has a quick release and an accurate arm—can carve up defenses in the middle of the field with a pass-catching tight end.

For that, the Dolphins could either re-sign Mike Gesicki or go after Dalton Schultz, who's set to test the free-agent market. Either way, Waddle would have more one-on-one opportunities on the perimeter.

In terms of stability, McDaniel, who plans to call offensive plays, could stop the pattern of new voices in Tagovailoa's ear. The quarterback had Chan Gailey as an offensive coordinator during his rookie year, then had a convoluted trio of co-offensive coordinators George Godsey and Eric Studesville and quarterbacks coach Charlie Frye sharing the responsibility of play-calling during the 2021 season, per Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Most importantly, Tagovailoa has to avoid significant injuries, which have hindered him in the past. If McDaniel can oversee improved offensive line play to keep Tagavailoa upright and provide a complementary ground attack, he might be able to restore Tagavailoa's reputation as the franchise cornerstone.

                       

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Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.