As the Miami Dolphins gear up for the 2025 NFL season, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is ready to reclaim his spot as the offensive leader after a season marred by injuries.
Despite his critical role in the Dolphins’ offense, Tagovailoa was surprisingly ranked just 28th among NFL quarterbacks by “Sporting News”, a ranking that many analysts and fans have criticized as a major undervaluation. On the other hand, advanced data from PFSN’s Quarterback Impact (QBi) metric paints a much different and far more favorable picture of Tagovailoa’s on-field contributions.
The 2024 season saw Tagovailoa sidelined with a concussion and a hip injury that forced him to miss multiple games. The Dolphins struggled in his absence, clearly demonstrating how integral he is to their offensive success.
Yet, despite missing significant time, Tagovailoa’s performance when healthy was among the best in the league, a fact reflected in the QBi ratings but seemingly ignored by the Sporting News rankings.
What QBi reveals about Tagovailoa’s true value
PFSN’s QBi metric is designed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of quarterbacks by considering both passing and rushing efficiency and volume.
The metric places heavier weight on more stable components like clean-pocket performance and expected points added (EPA) on designed runs, while also factoring in how quarterbacks perform in clutch, high-leverage situations. To appear on the leaderboard, quarterbacks must average at least 15 plays per game and play in at least half of their team’s games.
Tagovailoa earned a QBi grade of 84.4 in 2024, matching his career-high mark from 2022 and ranking him eighth in the league over the past three seasons. This stands in stark contrast to his 28th-place rank from Sporting News and highlights how valuable Tagovailoa truly is when healthy.
Statistically, Tagovailoa was fourth in the NFL in EPA per dropback (.21) and second in close-game EPA per dropback (.40). His ability to convert on third and fourth downs was also impressive, converting 46.1% of these opportunities, the seventh-best rate in the league. Over 11 games, he completed a career-best 72.9% of his passes, throwing for 2,867 yards, 19 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions.
The Dolphins’ offensive struggles in 2024 were exacerbated by Tagovailoa’s injuries. Star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, for example, failed to reach 1,000 receiving yards as the offense lacked consistency without its quarterback.
As Miami prepares to open the season against the Indianapolis Colts on September 7, Tagovailoa will be motivated to prove that his true impact on the field is better captured by the QBi metric than by the Sporting News ranking. Staying healthy will be essential for both his success and the Dolphins’ hopes of turning around a disappointing 2024 season.
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