I feel like I need to get ahead of this. Teddy Bridgewater will not unseat Tua Tagovailoa as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback. As reported, Miami just signed Bridgewater to a one-year deal. Listen, signing Bridgewater is a smart move and gives Miami a high-quality veteran to backup Tua, but it was not made to have him compete for the starting job. Nor does this signing insinuate any skepticism regarding Tua. GM Chris Grier and Head Coach Mike McDaniel have echoed the same sentiment repeatedly this offseason…Tua is the guy.
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There is a reason the Vikings, Saints, Panthers, and Broncos have all opted out of Bridgewater as their starting quarterback. The Panthers even chose Sam Darnold over Bridgewater just one year after signing a massive 3-year, $63 million deal in 2020. Bridgewater is going to be exactly what you expect him to be. You can win some games with him, but he’s never going to be the answer. I do not even think this discussion warrants a deep dive into a statistical comparison between the two. Tua is without question a better quarterback and would beat out Bridgewater in a real competition, with ease, I might add. He will push Tua and be a great resource, but the thinking is not to have Bridgewater supplant Tua. Even if you believe Bridgewater is better than Tua, it makes no sense that he would be the starter despite something unforeseen happening with Tua. Again, it’s been made clear that this is Tua’s job. This is the year Tua is presumptively going to be given what he needs, in terms of the belief of the staff and the personnel, to be successful. Year 3 is judgment time for Tua, and bringing in another quarterback to start over him does not allow this franchise to adequately evaluate a player they have invested so much in.
I remember that people were asserting that Jacoby Brissett was a better option than Tua this time last year. We all saw how that went. Bridgewater is an excellent backup quarterback for Miami. He can win games if Tua gets hurt. He will be a fabulous locker room presence. He will be an excellent resource for Tua. But no, he will not be starting for the Miami Dolphins in 2022.
