Tua Tagovailoa praises Justin Fields after preseason opener
As Tua Tagovailoa prepares for his second year in the NFL, another young quarterback is catching his eye. Following the preseason game between Tagovailoa’s Miami Dolphins and the Chicago Bears, the former Alabama quarterback gave his thoughts on the debut of Bears’ quarterback, Justin Fields.
“I think he did good. A little tough in the beginning, the couple first series. You can see he found his rhythm throughout the game, kept playing and stayed in there. He’s good,” said Tagovailoa, via the team’s YouTube channel. “He’s a good dual threat quarterback, too. He can stay in the pocket and throw, throw on the run, run the ball like we’ve seen. I thought he did really good. Wish him the best.”
Last season, Tagovailoa entered the league with unmatched hype, similar to Fields in 2021. However, the Dolphins quarterback has been the brunt of criticism following the impressive play of Justin Herbert, who was drafted after him by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Tagovailoa began his career backing up Ryan Fitzpatrick, and a similar situation is unfolding in Chicago. The current plan is for veteran quarterback Andy Dalton to begin the season as top signal caller for the Bears, while Fields waits to take over the franchise when he’s ready.
This season marks Tagovailoa’s first as the unquestioned starter in Miami. He’ll be looking to prove his supporters right and his doubters wrong. In yesterday’s game, he completed 8 of 11 passes for 99 yards, throwing one interception.
Brian Flores on Justin Fields
In addition to Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores had positive things to say about Justin Fields. Following the team’s 20-13 loss, Flores commented on Fields’ performance in the game, as well as throughout their scrimmages in practice.
“He threw the ball well on the run, today and the entire week,” Flores said of Justin Fields, as reported by Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “He has a bright future if he keeps working.”
Whatever it was that Flores saw in their scrimmages, Fields felt confident it would translate into their official game.
“Practicing against the Dolphins all week, I knew our offense could score on them,” Fields stated afterwards.
Flores’ praise for the rookie quarterback might ring sour for fans of his following the NFL Draft. The Dolphins passed on drafting Fields with their sixth-overall pick of the draft, instead choosing wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Subsequently, Fields went on to be selected at 11th overall. While the decision made perfect sense as the Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa with the first overall pick in 2020, some fans are impatiently waiting for him to develop.
While it was still preseason, Fields won the first quarterback matchup against Tagovailoa. As the former Ohio State quarterback looks to improve and become a known NFL name, any success he has will be like a dagger to the heart of the team’s that passed on him.
On3’s Austin Brezina contributed to this article.
Image courtesy of Robin Alam / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images