AFC South AFC East Reporter
By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303
As I am wrapping up the final day of the senior bowls practices, some NFL news broke which included the Miami Dolphins.
Rumors have been circulating for weeks about Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson‘s unhappiness with the Texans front office and possibly wanting out. He’s named the Miami Dolphins team as one of the teams he would like to play for.
No big surprise there. Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores is very well respected around the league. And Dolphins GM Chris Grier has started to build a solid future for this team.
Watson made it officially known today that indeed he has requested that the team trade him. Now for the good part: Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract, meaning he basically has to approve the trade.
Dolphins fans were quick to either jump on the Watson train or stick with Miami’s first-round pick last year QB Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins named him their starting quarterback week 8 of the 2020 NFL season. 
Let’s explore that. Tua replaced a red hot Ryan Fitzpatrick leaving some fans wondering why Flores decided to make the change. The idea to me was always to see what Tua has.
I mean, he was, after all, a first-round pick which to me has always meant that player should be able to come in right away and has some success. I personally love the idea of getting your feet wet and learning quickly and improving on every game.
Which I believe he did. However, he did go through some growing pains which lead to his getting benched during the fourth quarter of the Denver Bronco’s game. Now, this is where I honestly think coach Flores made a mistake. I thought he should have left him in. Leave him in and take the loss with the team. Then see how he reacts to adversity. Instead Flores, in my opinion, cast doubt among fans and this young man.
The thing I wrote about a few articles back is that Tua never had that “It” game. Never had that game that made fans comfortable that the Dolphins had made the right decision. Now trust me, I get all the NFL experts saying give him time. He is young, and Covid affected so much last year. No preseason, limited practices, etc. He has some great qualities that shouldn’t be overlooked.
But there is this thing…
The “thing” I speak of is the fact that the Miami Dolphins haven’t had a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino. Not one!! Now, a proven franchise guy wants to come to play in Miami? The one piece of the puzzle that has been missing for heck, what, twenty years? Yes, I said twenty years!!
Younger fans I can see saying let’s just wait and see if Tua has it. Because honestly, they haven’t felt that 20-year lagging desire. But for those of us that know this feeling, it’s become all too familiar for us.
So for me, seeing a proven 25-year-old quarterback want to come here? Knowing that he’ll make an immediate impact and possibly for a decade or so? I am all in. The Dolphins have an opportunity to finally insert that one piece of the puzzle that has eluded them for all these years.
Talk Dolphins with Lisa on Twitter // @LJ1303
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