Armstead: Tua Stands Up to Brees Comparison

The Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl tackle has high praise for his quarterback

Tua Tagovailoa and Terron Armstead / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Now that he has played two full seasons with Tua Tagovailoa, Terron Armstead is probably the person best equipped to discuss, compare and contrast his current quarterback and the one with whom he began his NFL career.

And it just so happens that this other quarterback is the one most often mentioned when discussing Tua’s potential as an NFL quarterback, that being Drew Brees.

Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show this week, Armstead naturally was asked for similarities between the two quarterbacks.

"Their height,” Armstead began, laughing. “So I connected Tua and Drew kind of soon as I got there (in Miami), OK? And they talked for a while, but Drew came down to training camp (last summer). And they spent some time together and Tua ran over to me. He's like, ‘Yo, T-Stead, I'm taller than Drew.’ He was like, so excited. Forget everything else they talked about reading defenses and all that anticipation, he was happy that he was taller than Drew.

“But as far as similarities, the accuracy, the precision is scary to see. Drew is Hall of Fame, one of the best ever to touch a football for sure. Tua's accuracy and his ability to manipulate and move defenders with his eyes, footwork, it's incredible. It’s Drew Brees, and I know that's a tall comparison, but he stands up to it. He is an impressive thrower of the football.”

ARMSTEAD HAPPY WITH HOW TUA TOOK CHARGE IN 2023

Beyond Tua’s well-established ability to throw the ball — he led the NFL in passer rating in 2022 and led the league in passing yards and was named AFC Pro Bowl starter in 2023 — it’s in other aspects of the game that Armstead saw real growth from Tagovailoa last season.

“I saw him take steps of growth in his leadership and holding guys accountable,” Armstead told Eisen. “I saw him get on the great Tyreek Hill last year, which he never would have done the first year. So looking forward to this next one, him taking another step in the management and piloting this franchise. I'm excited for him and I’m going to do everything I can to keep him clean.

"Tyreek loves work and he loves for everybody to put in that type of work and to be accountable. And so he loves challenges. Mike (McDaniel) has challenged ‘Reek and ‘Reek will come back and go for 230. So when Tua told him you need to be lined up here, he loves that. He loves that and he's somebody that responds. So it's great for us, the more we can have that accountability, we're going to win those big games.”

Because of that growth he’s seen from Tua, Armstead is excited about the possibilities for the Dolphins in 2024, which will be his third with the team after he arrived as an unrestricted free agent from the New Orleans Saints, from whom he protected Brees’ blind side for the final eight years of his Hall of Fame career.

"I'm the OG on the (Dolphins) team so just to see that from a young Tua to see him becoming what he's becoming … when I got to New Orleans, Drew was already Drew Brees, already Super Bowl champion,” Armstead said. “Yeah. So I saw him do XYZ numerous times. And to see that from  year one to two from Tua, I’m happy."