How High Did You Rank Tua?

Earlier, our own Nick Sabatino wrote a post discussing Pro Football Focus’s rankings of all NFL starting quarterbacks. Following that, I posed a question to Miami Dolphins fans:

Do you think there are thirteen NFL quarterbacks better than our starter, Tua Tagovailoa? If you believe Tua was ranked too low or too high, where would you rank him among the NFL’s starters?

Here are some of your responses:

**coluccim** places Tua in the middle of the pack and dislikes the Dallas Cowboys:
“Interesting exercise – this list is fluid. I’ve seen things I like about Richardson, Purdy, and Goff that might make me think they should be higher. And I’ve seen things I don’t like about Hurts and Lawrence that might make me move them down (and I hate all things Cowboys).”

1. Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs
2. Burrow – Cincinnati Bengals
3. Allen – Buffalo Bills
4. Rodgers – New York Jets
5. Jackson – Baltimore Ravens
6. Stafford – Los Angeles Rams
7. Stroud – Houston Texans
8. Love – Green Bay Packers
9. Goff – Detroit Lions
10. Purdy – San Francisco 49ers
11. Herbert – Los Angeles Chargers
12. Cousins* – Atlanta Falcons
13. Lawrence – Jacksonville Jaguars
14. Hurts – Philadelphia Eagles
15. Tua – Miami Dolphins
16. Richardson – Indianapolis Colts
17. Prescott – Dallas Cowboys
18. Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Watson – Cleveland Browns
20. Murray – Arizona Cardinals
21. Smith – Seattle Seahawks
22. Carr – New Orleans Saints
23. Levis – Tennessee Titans
24. Jones – New York Giants
25. Young – Carolina Panthers

Unranked: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders

**Dolfan88** believes Tagovailoa is in the top ten:
“Between 6 and 10, for now!”

**Luvs2drnk2.0** thinks a playoff win could push Tua into the top tier:
“Definitely top 5-10, success in the playoffs is the only thing holding him back from being top 5.”

**daytonadolfan** ranks Tua in the top five and criticizes PFF:
“PFF is full of squid s#!t !! It’s the Dolphin dilemma; every sports writer in the country hates the Fins! Tua’s top 5 if anything, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!”

**Riccky** believes Tua is worth a second and third-day draft pick:
“The real question is if you traded him right now, what’s his worth? 2nd and a 4th, that’s it. Now ask yourself if he is worth $50 million a year. I rest my case but those WRs are worth every penny.”

**phinsatx** has Tua in the top ten mix:
“I think he is probably ranked too low, but QBs are a moving target. Stats paint a weird picture; Tua is at the top in yards and TDs despite injuries. I’d say he’s in the top 10 mix. The league is chaotic.”

**Grmtfinfan** thinks the list is nonsense:
“What a crock that list is…Herbert at 5??? Aaron Rodgers at 8? Neither played enough to be top ten. Herbert has done nothing. No way he is top 5!”

**ChumpPunk** sees postseason success as key for Tua:
“Until he plays better at the end of the season, especially in the playoffs, I don’t rank him in the top 10. Maybe 15th or 16th. He needs to improve his escape ability and running game. Middle of the pack.”

**finfanfromsiam** ranks Tua near the top:
“Top 5-7 in the league.”

**holland182.0** sees Tagovailoa as a backup:
“Somewhere between 43 and 45.”

**EJPLAYA** sees Tua rising:
“I’m going with 7-8 right now and believe he’ll break the top 5 by the end of this season.”

**PGPhinsFan** puts Tua in the top half:
“I’d rank Tua between 11-14. He isn’t one of the big 3 (Mahomes, Allen, Burrow). I like Lawrence and Stafford better too. Tua needs a lot of help on the O-line. He struggles after getting hit once.”

**Trill Treezy** thinks Tua should be lower:
“I’d have put him a couple spots lower. I agree with everyone above him but would have added Goff and Murray.”

**budglo** believes there is a bias against Tua:
“I love it when talking heads cherry-pick stats to support their bias. I’m willing to give Tua a pass for playing under Flores for two years. Our OL and defense need to improve. Amazing that Mayfield gets a pass for Cleveland, but not Tua for Flores years.”

**Thomas23059** ranks Tua high and improving:
“Third. Right now, behind Mahomes and Allen, probably Burrow if healthy. Tua continues to get better.”

**herbert pollack** has Tua in the middle:
“12-15.”

**DolfaninME** believes Tua is better than 90% of QBs:
“Too low. People penalize Tua for executing plays called. He is accurate and makes quick decisions, better than 90% of QBs.”

**ramsestg** ranks Tua in the top five based on stats:
“PFF admits Tua has the highest regular season passing grade. Based on stats, he’s top 5. So, I’ll say he’s top 5 and will be paid accordingly soon.”

**USMCFinzFreak** is waiting for Tua to prove himself:
“Until he can win big games, he will always be a second-tier QB to me.”

**Dolfanjoe** says Tua is better than average:
“Top 15 makes him better than average! He could price himself out of a job here but is better than backups. Truth is, what else is out there?”

**phinette** believes some are biased by his jersey:
“Wow! Love is truly blind. As a long-time Dolphins fan, I cannot put him in the top 10. His lack of arm strength, improvisational skills, and ability to read complex defensive schemes is an issue. I put him between 13-15.”

**NCSurferMike** has Tua in the top ten:
“8th.”

**SlayerNation1** expects Tua to keep improving:
“Ranked as QB1 of the Dolphins and likely #1 or 2 on the pay scale soon. Criticisms are valid, but Tua and McD have space to keep evolving.”

**Crazygator** places Tua in the top ten but highlights his struggles under pressure:
“I think he is in the top 10, around 7 or 8. He can improve with a better line. Tua has good vision, is accurate, and makes good decisions, but struggles with pressure.”

**Csonka** ranks Tua in the top ten with potential to rise:
“Top 10, with the potential to keep growing and maybe make top 5.”

I was surprised by the range of rankings, from very high to very low. Thank you to everyone who participated and shared their views.