iami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is coming off a career season in 2023, and yet some around the NFL community are still hesitant when it comes to recognizing the former No. 5 overall pick.
NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms would fit that description. The former NFL quarterback turned media personality dropped the final segment of his annual top 40 QB ranking on June 10 and overall, Tagovailoa was placed outside the top 15.
In fact, if you consider that there are only 32 starters at the position at one time, the Dolphins signal-caller was actually ranked in the bottom half of the league according to Simms, who put him 18th overall.
And that’s after a 4,624-yard campaign that included a playoff berth and 29 passing touchdowns. For reference, that performance led the NFL in yardage and bested a two-time MVP like Patrick Mahomes II by more than 400 passing yards and two passing touchdowns.
Even more baffling than Tagovailoa’s No. 18 ranking was who he was placed behind. Simms listed the Dolphins passer lower than the following players: Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence, Kirk Cousins, Jordan Love, Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray and Brock Purdy (in that order).
But squeezed in between Rodgers and Murray was the real surprise. At No. 15 overall, Simms ranked Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield three spots higher than Tagovailoa.
