Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been under a ton of scrutiny from fans and talking heads for his lack of arm strength, a narrative that really took off this offseason.
Earlier in the program, the Dolphins’ social media account posted a video of Tagovailoa underthrowing wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and the quarterback was dragged for it online.
Since then, he’s defended himself a bit more, and he’s had the opportunity to show fans that his arm is better than they may believe.
On Saturday, Tagovailoa completed a 65-yard touchdown pass to Hill in practice that traveled at least 50 yards in the air, and the clip went viral on social media.
After Wednesday’s practice, the Dolphins quarterback was asked why he thought that clip took off the way that it did.
“I think people don’t think I can throw the ball far,” Tagovailoa said. “I would say that’s the fascination. Like, ‘Wow! He can throw the ball!’ It’s hard to be in the NFL if you can’t throw the ball, right?”
Rich Eisen has coined the nickname “Salty Tua” for Tagovailoa this offseason, and it seems to be fitting. It’s not meant to be a negative, it’s just Tagovailoa finally holding people accountable for their feelings about him as a player.
If he continues to display some of that confident side during media availability and performs like the quarterback that he’s shown flashes of being, this could be a really fun season in South Florida.
