Tua Tagovailoa one of NFL’s deadliest deep ball passers

According to Pro Football Focus, Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins is third highest graded quarterback on throws 20+ yards down the field in the last three seasons.

Since being drafted by the Miami Dolphins fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been one of the National Football League’s most polarizing players. Whether it’s the national media, local media, opposing fanbases or even supporters of the Miami Dolphins, everyone seems to want to give their two-cents in regards to the 27-year-old’s ability to be a franchise player in South Florida.

One constant criticism hurled at Tagovailoa early on in his career was in regards to his so-called “noodle arm.” Critics claimed that the former Alabama Crimson Tide gunslinger was packing more of a pop-gun than a cannon in his left arm.

Well, according to Pro Football Focus, those allegations no longer carry weight.

Over the past three seasons, Tagovailoa is the third highest graded quarterback on passes that traveled 20 yards or more — trailing only Las Vegas Raiders passer Geno Smith and Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow. The man nicknamed the Samoan Sniper by some of his supporters ranks just ahead of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and fellow AFC East signal-caller Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills.

Of course, the biggest knock on Tagovailoa has been his inability to stay healthy for long stretches of time. He has only played all of his team’s games in a single season once since joining the Dolphins — 2023. Last season, the quarterback missed 6 total games due to continued concussion issues and a late year hip injury.

The Dolphins may find themselves with a tough decision to make regarding Tagovailoa’s future with the franchise if those ailments persist in 2025 and 2026, but one thing is abundantly clear — when available, Tua Tagovailoa is one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks… despite the often-ignorant criticism swarming him from all directions at all times.