Flores 'excited' about Tua ahead of 2nd season

Despite rumors that the Miami Dolphins could look to upgrade their quarterback position this offseason, head coach Brian Flores remains confident in Tua Tagovailoa's growth.

The Dolphins are one of a few teams reportedly linked to Deshaun Watson should the Houston Texans trade him, but Flores has his squad preparing for the 2021 campaign with Tagovailoa under center.

"I'm excited about Tua this upcoming season," Flores told reporters on Thursday. "If you think about his situation last year, coming off the hip (injury), (we) kind of threw him into the fire there. ... I thought he made a lot of improvement, really throughout the course of the season."

He added: "I'm all about the development of players - helping them develop and helping them get better. And I think this offseason is really going to be helpful to him."

Miami used the No. 5 overall pick on Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft. He began the season backing up veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and eventually was promoted to starter.

His play as a starter wavered as the season wore on - he was benched multiple times throughout the latter stages of the campaign - but the head coach believes his quarterback's play will be more consistent with a full offseason under his belt.

"I think he's is a talented player," Flores added. "We here believe in developing players at all positions and I think with an offseason, with OTAs, with more repetitions ... I think they develop and get better. And I think he feels the same way.

"Tua and I had lunch yesterday. We talk about his family, and a lot of that development is about building relationships. He's doing well, he's confident, I'm confident in him, and I'm looking forward to this offseason."

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