Tua Tagovailoa not worried about Dolphins’ offseason trade possibilities, looks to rebound in finale

When the Nov. 2 commercialized deadline came and went, it assured Miami Dolphins backmost Tua Tagovailoa that the squad was his for the last 2 months of the NFL season.

The expiration connected that security comes successful 1 game.

After the decision of the Dolphins’ play finale and 4:25 p.m. kickoff against the New England Patriots connected Sunday astatine Hard Rock Stadium, the offseason begins for Miami. At the forefront of decisions the franchise volition person to make, volition it perpetrate to sticking with Tagovailoa heading into Year 3 for the Alabama merchandise oregon volition the Dolphins reinsert themselves into commercialized conversations for Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson oregon the pursuit of different upper-echelon quarterback?

Tagovailoa is not allowing that anticipation to inhabit his caput arsenic helium heads into the last commencement of his 2nd NFL season.

“No, I’m not disquieted astir that,” Tagovailoa said implicit web league aft Wednesday’s practice. “If it comes up, it comes up. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

The comments Dolphins wide manager Chris Grier made the past clip helium spoke, the time aft the commercialized deadline passed, were telling of his mentality.

“If there’s a subordinate disposable astir the league that’s viewed arsenic being 1 of the apical players astir the league astatine immoderate position, you look astatine it and effort and spell for it,” Grier said connected Nov. 3.

The past fractional of Tagovailoa’s play could past beryllium viewed arsenic an audition to find if the franchise is comfy allowing the No. 5 prime of the 2020 draught support the reins.

He missed the archetypal crippled that followed with a digit wounded connected his throwing hand, further adding to his durability concerns. Tagovailoa past entered successful the 2nd fractional of the Nov. 11 Thursday nighttime triumph implicit the Baltimore Ravens and started the ensuing six up of Sunday’s matchup with the Patriots.

Tagovailoa completed 69.3 percent of passes successful those six and a fractional appearances for 1,504 yards (7.2 per attempt), 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, positive a rushing score. It started with a agelong of 4 consecutive outings with a backmost standing supra 100, but the past three: 75.5 against the New York Jets, 91.5 astatine the New Orleans Saints and an disfigured 53.1 successful Sunday’s sloppy nonaccomplishment successful Nashville, 34-3, to the Tennessee Titans that eliminated the Dolphins from playoff contention.

“It didn’t spell the mode that I wanted it to go,” said Tagovailoa, evaluating his sophomore NFL campaign. “It didn’t spell the mode that our squad wanted it to go. It’s pugnacious erstwhile you person an accidental and you don’t capitalize connected that opportunity.”

Tagovailoa lone completed 18 of 38 passes, was sacked 4 times, fumbled three, mislaid 1 of those fumbles, threw an interception and had astatine slightest a mates of different passes that could’ve been intercepted successful the nonaccomplishment to the Titans.

“We determination on,” said Dolphins manager Brian Flores of his connection to Tagovailoa this week. “We determination connected to the adjacent play. We instrumentality it 1 play astatine a time, 1 time astatine a time. We marque the corrections, amended and spell retired determination and enactment your champion ft forward. That’s the lawsuit for him and each player. That would beryllium my connection to anyone that dealt with a small adversity.”

Mishandling the shot aggregate times successful the rainfall and acold astatine Nissan Stadium connected Sunday, it near Tagovailoa motivated to work connected dealing with those conditions successful the offseason.

“It’s trying to beryllium capable to simulate the cold-weather scenarios and trying to propulsion the shot erstwhile it’s bedewed astatine the aforesaid time, you know, successful acold weather,” said Tagovailoa, from Hawaii, playing assemblage shot astatine Alabama and present professionally successful Miami. “A batch of the bully teams are cold-weather teams, arsenic well. I deliberation that’s thing to instrumentality into information this offseason for myself. Probably spell sojourn my member oregon instrumentality a travel determination that’s acold and benignant of get the consciousness of that.”

With 1 crippled near successful his 2nd season, Tagovailoa has a somewhat amended backmost standing than helium did arsenic a rookie, 89.8 to 87.1. His completion percent improved from 64.1 to 67.8 and yards per effort person accrued from 6.3 to 7. With 76 much walk attempts this year, helium has thrown 4 much touchdowns — from 11 to 15 — but 5 much interceptions, from 5 to 10.

The deficiency of a bigger Year 2 leap besides comes amid different factors similar violative coaching changes, arguably the league’s worst pass-protecting violative line, the deficiency of a accordant moving crippled and elite, consistently steadfast receiving corps and his ain health/availability.