Who is the Miami Dolphins “X-factor” in 2021? The obvious answer is Tua Tagovailoa, right? Then again, isn’t that too cliché? Consider the Offensive Line and how everything Chris Grier and his team have built seems to start from the inside out. Not to mention, we all know how important pass protection will be for Tua’s growth and run blocking for Gaskin’s growth.
The offensive line has been addressed properly and has shown early signs of being able to progress into a solid top ten unit in the NFL. Fantastic, of course, but are they the true X-factor? Will the line playing top-notch football make the Dolphins a true contender? This question made us turn back to Tua.
Cliché or not, Tua is clearly the Dolphins “X-factor” in 2021. The logic goes like this; if the O-line is great and Tua plays poorly, the team will not contend. If the O-line is sketchy, but Tua overcomes that and plays well, the team can still contend.
Diving Deeper
Let’s talk about Josh Allen, and compare his jump from year one to year two (applying the same statistical jump in terms of percentage to Tua). This statistical increase would add 15 more TD’s to the Dolphins’ season (which is 105 points if you assume one Jason Sanders is perfect on PAT’s). This jump in points would make Miami the highest-scoring offense in the NFL.
If Miami’s defense stays top 5 in the league and Tua can help propel the offense to be one of the top-scoring offenses in the league, then there is no doubt that Miami should be right at the top of the AFC in contending for not only a playoff spot, but a bye in the first round.
This is a fact that makes it impossible to say anyone on the Dolphins is a bigger “X-Factor” than Tua, not only in 2021, but for the next several years of this franchise.