NFL news: Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa not feeling 'more pressure' from new additions
- Sean Fisher
- 21 April 2022
With a new head coach, a star wide receiver coming in and a new-look offensive line, the Miami Dolphins are hoping to impress in the new season.
After finishing the 2021 season on 9-8 in the AFC East, the Miami Dolphins have spent the offseason upgrading their roster ready for a play-off push this season.
New head coach Mike McDaniel has taken charge of the side, and a trade for Kansas City Chiefs star receiver Tyreek Hill means the Dolphins' offence is looking scarily strong.
On top of that, Cedrick Wilson, Terron Armstead, Connor Williams, Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert and Mike Gesicki all have joined the roster, giving quarterback Tua Tagovailoa a strong foundation to build on.
Frankly, after failing to lead the Dolphins into the play-offs in recent seasons, rumours started swirling about the Miami side potentially looking for a new franchise quarterback, but instead it seems they've backed him and surrounded him with an upgrated roster.
The 24-year-old Hawaiian has already spoken earlier this month about how exciting the new season is for everyone related to the Dolphins franchise, but with new additions comes new responsibilities.
With the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots already looking strong in the AFC East, the Dolphins will have their work cut out for them if they are to dominate their division, and that could pile the pressure on Tagovailoa to perform.
But instead of viewing the new arrivals as added pressure, Tagovailoa instead wants to see the upcoming season as an opportunity to shine.
"I think pressure is going to be there every time. I don't feel more pressure that we've acquired all of these guys.
"It's more of an opportunity that I get, that we all get as a team, to show what we can do this year."
.@Tua ➡️ @mikegesicki pic.twitter.com/ux9kALPN58
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) April 20, 2022
He also spoke highly of the new head coach, McDaniel, and suggested that the pair have already started building a relationship.
"I sat down with the head coach and we went over about 150 clips of throws," he said.
"Throws that need to be better, throws that were good, all sorts of throws. The reason as to why he showed me that is it transitions to the way he kind of schemes up the offense. Really, the biggest thing for us is YAC (yards after catch). We want to YAC the heck out of teams."
With a new star-studded offence being built around him, Tagolaivoa should have plenty of opportunities to do exactly that this season.
