Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill talks up Tua Tagovailoa as ‘most accurate quarterback in the NFL’
New Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill continued his staunch public support of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa days before training camp opens in a nationally televised interview on Monday morning.
“A lot of people haven’t seen young Tua’s full potential,” Hill said on ESPN’s First Take.
“Tua, he’s a [expletive] heck of a competitor. He’s a hell of a hard worker. I’m excited to go to work with him, compete with him and battle with him.”
Hill already made headlines earlier in the offseason for giving Tagovailoa an edge in passing accuracy over his previous quarterback with the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes. He took that notion a step further on Monday.
When asked about the decision between playing for the Dolphins or Jets, Tagovailoa or New York quarterback Zach Wilson, Hill responded: “Zach Wilson is a dog, but I’d rather play with the most accurate quarterback in the NFL.”
When Hill asked for a trade from the Chiefs, the Jets and Dolphins were the two teams with trade framework established with Kansas City, and Hill’s destination came down to which team he would sign a long-term extension with. He chose the Dolphins and their four-year, $120 million deal.
Hill countered one question that implied Tagovailoa hasn’t come through in big games over his first two NFL seasons.
“This dude came from Alabama. If you know Alabama, they’re playing some of the biggest games in college football,” Hill said. “I’ve had a chance to play with him, practice with him and see his confidence. I’ve had a chance to golf with him. He’s a good guy, obviously, but I see a lot of similarities when I look at him and when I see Patrick [Mahomes]. He’s definitely on to something.”
While acknowledging Tagovailoa’s arm strength isn’t his best attribute, Hill notes the quarterback makes up for it in other areas.
“Obviously, Tua, he’s not your typical gunslinger,” he said, “but if you were to just pay attention to his game, everything is spot on, everything is pinpoint, ball is on time. His fundamentals are on point. He takes the time to make up in other areas and be great in other areas that other quarterbacks may not be good at.”
With the Dolphins reporting for training camp on Tuesday and holding their first practice on Wednesday, Hill touched on his and the team’s mindset.
“We’re just playing to win games, play for one another, play hard. Just follow coach [Mike] McDaniel’s lead, him and Tua’s,” Hill said. “I feel like the main reason I’m here is for leadership. Try to help these guys win as many possible big games as we can, and just continue doing what I’ve been doing my whole entire career. That’s just be fast and just be me.”
Hill said he didn’t want to break up with the Chiefs this offseason, but after seeing Davante Adams’ contract with the Raiders (five years, $141.25 million), he wanted something close to it. He added that if the Chiefs would’ve offered more money, he probably would’ve remained in Kansas City.
“The Chiefs, they were nowhere close to being close to the Davante Adams deal,” Hill said. “That’s really where everything broke down.”
()