Grier Says It's Tua Time in 2022, Slams Door on Watson Talk

The Miami Dolphins general manager made it clear at the combine that there should be no question left that Tua Tagovailoa will be the starting quarterback next season

INDIANAPOLIS — The Miami Dolphins have made it pretty clear for a while now that Tua Tagovailoa was the clear starter at quarterback for 2022, but General Manager Chris Grier made the boldest statement yet Wednesday.

Speaking to a group of South Florida reporters late in the afternoon, Grier slammed the door shut on revisiting the idea of making a trade for Deshaun Watson after I reminded him of his post-trade deadline comment last year about doing due diligence when elite quarterbacks become available and whether that still applied this offseason.

“I think the door is shut on Deshaun," Grier said. "At the end of the day, Mike (McDaniel) and the staff have come to do a lot of work and studied a lot of Tua and they feel good about his developmental upside, what he can be and then the fit in the offense. I think we’re good with Tua.”

A follow-up question was asked about whether Grier could make a definitive statement that it's Tua all the way heading into the 2022 season, Grier said yes.

The Dolphins were interested in making a trade for Watson last year, with owner Stephen Ross even being granted permission to talk to the disgruntled Houston Texans quarterback.

In the end, no trade was consummated amid reports the Dolphins wanted Watson to settle all 22 of his civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct before bringing him to Miami.

The day after the trade deadline, Grier said exploring the possibility of making a trade for Watson was simply a matter of doing due diligence after a star player became available.

Tagovailoa has had an uneven performance since the Dolphins made him the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft and questions remain as to exactly how high his NFL ceiling is.

Even Grier punted on the question when he was asked whether he thinks Tua can be an elite quarterback.

“I can’t say he can’t be," Grier said. "It’s in a situation now where this will be built around his skill set and what the offense can be and Mike’s vision of how he fits. So,I wouldn’t say he can’t be. It’s too early. He’s played 20 games maybe. The first year was in and out and missing games this year, but I know he’s won games even this last year, and it’s hard to win games in this league.

"I know people want to say he doesn’t throw the ball downfield, but he’s incredibly accurate, and that’s the real exciting part for Mike and the coaching staff, his accuracy.”

Tagovailoa completed 67.8 percent of his passes last season when he finished with a 90.1 passer rating.

“I will say Mike and the offensive staff watched every game, every throw and put together this tape of the roster, and it was pretty cool," Grier said. "Mike’s vision for how Tua fits into this scheme and what he can do, they’re all very excited about it.

"So, I think at the end of the day, probably Tua is going to have to come in and work with him and do it on the field, but right now there’s a very good comfort level with how they feel he fits into what Mike wants to do with our offense."