Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores reportedly preferred the team select Justin Herbert over Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL draft.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported Flores prefers "bigger, strapping pocket passers" and that "numerous" people around the league have heard Flores wanted Herbert, who isn't necessarily a pocket passer but does fit the size bill at 6'6" and 237 pounds.

Flores hasn't seemed particularly enamored with Tagovailoa early in the Alabama product's career, replacing him mid-game at several points last season with Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins have also regularly been mentioned as a suitor for Deshaun Watson, another sign the franchise is not all-in on Tagovailoa as their long-term option.

Tagovailoa went No. 5 overall in 2020, and Herbert was selected one pick later by the Los Angeles Chargers.

Tagovailoa has not helped matters with shaky play when he's been on the field and injury issues. Miami placed him on injured reserve this week with broken ribs, taking him out of the lineup for at least the next three games.

Herbert has looked every bit the part of a superstar, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020 and getting off to a solid start in his second NFL season.

It's still possible that Tagovailoa winds up finding the magic that made him look like a big-time prospect at Alabama, but a season-plus into their careers, it looks like the Dolphins made a mistake not listening to Flores.

The Miami Dolphins will reportedly be without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for at least three games. 

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Tagovailoa will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a rib injury in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. 

Durability was a significant question mark for the Alabama product when he came into the NFL. He suffered a dislocated hip and posterior wall fracture late in his junior year with the Crimson Tide in 2019. 

During his rookie season with the Dolphins last year, Tagovailoa stayed healthy for the most part. He missed one game with a thumb injury but appeared in 10 contests and went 6-3 in nine starts. 

The Dolphins went all-in on Tagovailoa as their starter in 2021. He got off to a slow start, though, completing 17 of 31 attempts in the first two games prior to suffering the rib injury. 

Jacoby Brissett will take over as Miami's quarterback. The 28-year-old went 24-of-40 for 169 yards with one interception in relief of Tagovailoa against the Bills. 

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will miss Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders because of fractured ribs.

Head coach Brian Flores indicated the injury could leave Tagovailoa out for more than just this week:

The southpaw exited Miami's 35-0 Week 2 defeat to the Buffalo Bills after throwing just four passes. Flores confirmed the following day he had suffered a rib injury that left him day-to-day.

Expectations were high for Tagovailoa entering 2021.

He threw for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games as a rookie. The COVID-19 pandemic and his recovery from a dislocated hip limited how much work he could put in prior to the 2020 campaign, so it stood to reason he would improve this year.

Through two starts, Tagovailoa has completed 54.8 percent of his passes while collecting 215 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Having replaced him last Sunday already, Jacoby Brissett will now run the offense.

In his two full seasons as a starter for the Indianapolis Colts, the 28-year-old didn't play that poorly but didn't excel either with an 84.6 passer rating while throwing 31 TDs and 13 INTs and compiling an 11-19 record. Flores might have to lean on the running game a little more for the time being.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is considered "day-to-day" with his latest rib injury, head coach Brian Flores told reporters Monday.

The Dolphins are scheduled to face the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday.

Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Tagovailoa suffered bruised ribs during his team's 35-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sept. 19. X-rays were negative on the injury, which forced the ex-Alabama star out of the game. However, Pelissero added that Tagovailoa was "in a lot of pain."

Facing a 4th-and-2 from the Dolphins' 48-yard line in the first quarter, Tagovailoa attempted to convert the first down with a pass to Jaylen Waddle.

Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa delivered a hit on Tagovailoa before the pass fell incomplete. 

Tagovailoa stayed down. ESPN's Cameron Wolfe described the scene:

He was helped off the field by team personnel.

Jacoby Brissett called signals for the remainder of the game.

Miami selected Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall choice in the 2020 NFL draft. He completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns (five interceptions) and 6.3 yards per attempt in 10 games.

Tagovailoa split time with Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2020 but entered 2021 as the clear QB1. However, Brissett will be calling signals if Tagovailoa needs to miss any time.

Brissett, 28, has played for the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Dolphins during his six-year career.

He was the Colts' starting quarterback in 2017 and 2019, and he entered this season with 31 touchdown passes (13 interceptions) for 6.6 passing yards per attempt and a 59.6 percent completion rate over 49 games (32 starts).

Miami Dolphins second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was carted to the locker room early in Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills after suffering a rib injury and was unable to return to the game.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Tagovailoa has bruised ribs and that X-rays were negative. Pelissero said the quarterback was in "a lot of pain" and test results on Monday morning "didn’t reveal any major issues." Pelissero added, "it’ll be about pain tolerance and functionality moving forward."

During the second drive of the game, Tagovailoa was hit hard on a fourth-down attempt and took an extended time to get off the field. He was just 1-of-4 for 13 yards before suffering the injury. Jacoby Brissett replaced Tagovailoa under center.

The 23-year-old is in his first full season as the Dolphins' starting quarterback, leading the team to a win over the New England Patriots in Week 1.

After selecting him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 draft, the Dolphins placed Tagovailoa in a backup role behind veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick to start the 2020 season. Despite Fitzpatrick enjoying a successful start to the campaign, head coach Brian Flores pivoted to Tua as the starter in Week 7.

The former Alabama standout went on to start nine games, although he was replaced by Fitzpatrick on a few occasions when he struggled. He also missed Miami's Week 12 game against the New York Jets with a thumb injury.

All told, Tagovailoa completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 109 yards and three scores. Most importantly, Tagovailoa went 6-3 as a starter during his rookie campaign.

The safety net of Fitzpatrick was taken away during the offseason when the veteran signed with the Washington Football Team, leaving Tua as Miami's clear and unquestioned starter.

Rather than putting significant resources toward bringing in a quarterback to compete with Tagovailoa, the Dolphins did everything they could to surround him with talent.

That included signing wide receiver William Fuller V in free agency and selecting Tua's former Crimson Tide teammate and receiver Jaylen Waddle in the first round of the 2021 draft.

They joined a Miami offense that already boasted some impressive skill-position players, such as wideout DeVante Parker, running back Myles Gaskin and tight end Mike Gesicki.

If Tagovailoa has to miss some game action because of the rib injury, the Dolphins will turn to Brissett, who signed with Miami in free agency.

Brissett is a solid quarterback capable of filling in for a short period of time, but Tagovailoa remains the key to Miami experiencing long-term success.

Miami Dolphins receiver Will Fuller will miss his team's Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills due to a personal issue, head coach Brian Flores announced Friday:

Flores would not reveal the issue, asking people to "respect his privacy."

"He has my support," the coach added. "Things happen. When they happen, they're not part of normal every day, it's a surprise from that standpoint. He's dealing with it. We'll support him."

When asked if he was confident Fuller would return this season, Flores responded: "One day at a time."

Fuller missed last week's season-opener as part of his six-game performance-enhancing substance suspension dating back to last season with the Houston Texans. He signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in the offseason, but he hasn't gotten much time on the field with his new team:

The 27-year-old is one of the NFL's most exciting deep threats when healthy. He has averaged 14.9 yards per catch in his career and finished last season with 53 receptions for 879 yards and eight touchdowns, all career highs despite playing just 11 games.

The downside is Fuller hasn't played more than 11 games in any of the last four seasons.

DeVante Parker and Jaylen Waddle should see increased snaps and targets while Fuller is unavailable.  

The Miami Dolphins could have starting left tackle Austin Jackson available in Week 1 against the New England Patriots.

The team announced Saturday that Jackson had been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list. However, the Dolphins cautioned that Jackson will be listed as questionable because of a "non-injury related illness." His status will be updated prior to kickoff. 

Jackson and tight end Adam Shaheen were placed on the list by the Dolphins on Monday.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Jackson "would be the first fully vaccinated player to test positive and return to play in the same week."

Jackson was the second of Miami's three first-round draft picks last year (No. 18 overall). He appeared in 13 games (12 starts) at left tackle.

The 22-year-old ranked 80th out of 84 qualifiers at his position, per Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus.

If Jackson is unable to play, Greg Little will likely start in his place. The third-year lineman spent the past two seasons with the Carolina Panthers and was traded to Miami last month for a 2022 seventh-round draft pick.

A second-round pick in 2019, Little has appeared in 14 games (six starts).   

The Miami Dolphins announced their five captains to open the 2021 NFL regular season, and some were surprised to see Tua Tagovailoa absent from the list.

Wide receiver Mack Hollins and right tackle Jesse Davis were the two offensive players to make the cut:

The makeup of Miami's captains list may be much ado about nothing.

Jerome Baker, the team's leading tackler in each of the last two years, was another notable omission. Based on 2020 and 2021, there seems to be a general emphasis on experience over the kind of on-field role a player will occupy.

Hollins, for example, figures to be one of the backups at wideout once Will Fuller V serves out the remainder of his six-game suspension.

Still, questions will inevitably arise when a starting quarterback isn't voted by his teammates to be one of the ceremonial captains.

This also comes as the Dolphins have been linked to a possible trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. 

Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported Aug. 28 they "have emerged as the front-runner," and Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported there was "mounting chatter that Watson will be traded in the coming days." Florio included Miami as one of the contenders alongside the Carolina Panthers.

Watson is facing 22 civil lawsuits tied to allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct, which has left his playing status in flux. 

Addressing the rumors, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said he's "very confident" in Tagovailoa.

Flores also told reporters the Dolphins "have a high standard for the people we have in the organization" and "want people with high character throughout the building."