Louis Riddick urges Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel to fix one major issue hurting Tua Tagovailoa's output in Miami

The Miami Dolphins drafted Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL draft. Since taking over as the starting quarterback, he has had a roller coaster journey in the league with several injury concerns.

On Thursday's episode of 'NFL Live', ex-NFL star turned analyst Louis Riddick gave his take on what the Dolphins need to change to help Tua Tagovailoa's output on the field.

He urged Mike McDaniel to focus on running the ball rather than relying on his quarterback to make passing plays all the time. Riddick believes that diversity is the solution to the team's offensive problems.

"Miami, overall as an organization, what do they need to do for Tua in terms of helping him and helping this football team ascend, so where people just don't zero in on him all the time and blame him for their shortcomings," Riddick said while highlighting the importance of a strong offensive line.

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"... Well Miami's tried to fix this offensive line that was bottom quarter of the league in run block win rate, pass block win rate. They were terrible on third and short, you know why, because Mike McDaniel didn't want to run the football on third and short. He always had Tua trying to throw the football, so they never were able to really esablish an identity that they needed to establish to take some of the pressure off of him." "This cannot be a throw it all over the yard type of offense because eventually it's going to catch up to Tua. They better be able to become more diverse lioke they were in New Orleans under Sean Payton and Drew Brees." (TS-2:10)

In five seasons, Tua Tagovailoa has led the Dolphins to two playoff appearances. Last season, he suffered a concussion during their game against the Buffalo Bills. This led to the quarterback missing out on four games before coming back.

The Dolphins ended the season with an 8-9 record, failing to qualify for the playoffs. Tua recorded 2,867 yards and 19 TDs passing. He also agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million extension before the start of the season in July 2024.

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Hall of Famer Steve Young advises Tua Tagovailoa to play smarter

On Wednesday, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young appeared on "The Rich Eisen Show". He analysed Tua Tagovailoa's performance for the Dolphins and urged him to be smarter with his offensive plays.

"Tua's gotten in trouble trying to be heroic," Young said. "... You just gotta be smarter as you age. But if you're not a threat at the line of scrimmage, you won't reach the Super Bowl. He must balance aggression with caution to survive." (TS- 0:39)

At minicamp, Tagovailoa addressed these concerns about making risky plays on the field. He vowed to protect himself more on the field to avoid injuries and improve his longevity as a quarterback in the league.

Edited by Dipayan Moitra