Until Kyler Murray replaced Josh Rosen a year after he was drafted, we always looked at young quarterback prospects as developing projects. Usually, quarterbacks have to prove that they are the franchise guy throughout the life of their rookie deal. In Tua’s case, he has never been afforded the luxury of being able just to ball and learn the game. From day one, it’s always been one controversial take after another about if he was the right choice. Watson, Herbert, hip injury, benching, and trades are all associated as keywords with Tua. Tua has always had the pressure to need to prove everything to his doubters.

Between a fan base that has been starved of good quarterback play since Dan Marino and controversy surrounding replacement due to the previous regime not committing to Tua from the start, it’s hard to get an unbiased take on Tua. We don’t know what Tua is because the investment hasn’t been made until Mike McDaniel became head coach.

There is potential to compare Tua to quarterbacks around the league in his first two years. But for some reason, a lot of the NFL fan base doesn’t see the potential. It’s either he’s too small, lacks arm talent, decision-making is an unknown compared to other elite availability or does not compare to his draft class. But we can compare him to each of these categories and see he’s not far off.

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Tua Tagovailoa’s first two years (23 games): 66.2% completion percentage, 4467 yards, 27 TDS, 15 INTs

Quarterbacks considered small stature through two years:

Russel Wilson ( 32 games): 63.5% completion percentage, 6475 yards, 52TDs, 19 INTs

Baker Mayfield (30 games): 61.6% completion percentage, 7752 yards, 49TDs, 35 INTs

Drew Brees (27 games): 59.2% completion percentage, 5392 yards, 28TDs, 31 INTs

Quarterbacks considered a bust/ underperformed after two years:

Josh Allen (27 games): 55.8% completion percentage, 5163 yards, 30 TDs, 21 INTs

Payton Manning (32 games): 59.4% completion percentage, 7874 yards, 52 Tds, 43 INTs

Greatest quarterback to ever play after two years:

Tom Brady (30 games): 63% completion percentage, 6607 yards, 46TDs, 26 ints.

These quarterbacks have made playoff runs; some have won Super Bowls. Statistically, Tua compares well with everyone on this list and, in some categories, outperforms through the first two years. These quarterbacks listed didn’t go through a circus of media distraction due to trade allegations. These Quarterbacks had teams that stuck with them and built around their strengths for them to succeed. While some criticism of Tua is fair, a lot of it is blown out of proportion because everyone expects instant success. With the team, Miami has built through this year’s free agency and a head coach in Mike McDaniel that openly supports Tua and shoots any negative report down, I believe there will be a lot of improvement from Miami’s young quarterback. Because he finally has the support needed to succeed.

People forget that football is a team sport and systems matter. It doesn’t matter how talented a player is; there is no success if the system doesn’t work. Miami’s fan base is starved for success, but you don’t get a good meal from a microwaved dinner; you won’t get a developed quarterback without investing in him. Ultimately I think the harsh judgment Tua has received while dealing with limiting factors is unfair, and we should wait until we see what he can do with support before we judge.