#Tua Tagovailoa making his run at Dolphins starting job

Tua Tagovailoa is used to waiting his turn. It took until the final half of his first season at Alabama to take the reins.

But how long will the Dolphins be able to wait before placing the franchise in his hands?

Following a subpar first week of practice in which the former Heisman runner-up showed signs of struggling to pick up the NFL offense, Tagovailoa has begun to showcase the potential which made him worth the risk of the fifth overall selection in the draft, following hip surgery. This week, Miami reporters noted the southpaw has essentially matched veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick’s performance, displaying an improved confidence, mobility and accuracy, which included a 69-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Malcolm Perry.

With Fitzpatrick expected to start in New England in the season-opener, Tagovailoa is currently battling for the backup job with former fellow prized prospect Josh Rosen, who was selected with the 10th overall pick just over two years ago. Rosen, who was acquired from Arizona last year after the Cardinals took Kyler Murray with the top pick in 2019, appears set to be supplanted by another bigger college star, having gone 3-10 as an NFL starter.

In 24 games as Alabama’s starter, Tagovailoa went 22-2, while throwing for 87 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 69.3 completion percentage, before suffering a season-ending injury in November.

“It is what it is,” Rosen said Tuesday of the quarterback competition. “I just have to come out and try as hard as I can and compete as hard as I can every day. Hopefully get the nod at some point in the future. Right now, I’m just focusing on improving every day. Fitz is a great guy to learn from. I’m sort of trying to continue that progress I had near the end of last year.

“I’m not really focused as much on winning a job as getting better.”