The Miami Dolphins have made an explosive trade that will impact their franchise for the rest of the cycle. The Miami Dolphins have sent cornerback Xavien Howard and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for quarterback Russell Wilson and a fifth round selection in the upcoming draft.
Tua Tagovailoa –
Season 1 – 359 completions, 523 passing attempts, 68.6 completion percent, 5,947 passing yards, 50 touchdowns, 33 interceptions, 112.2 passer rating, 20 rushing attempts, 114 rushing yards, and 1 rushing touchdown.
Season 2 – 97 completions, 156 passing attempts, 60.9 completion percent, 1,540 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 78.55 passer rating, 8 rushing attempts, and 36 rushing yards.
Tua Tagovailoa made significant strides in season one and he was the league leader in passing yards by then end of the season, however, the Miami Dolphins fell one game short of making the playoffs. Tua Tagovailoa was one of the players impacted by dev regression and the freefall back to star development opened up the idea of him being traded. The Dolphins were able to get a victory in week one this season, but Tua’s ability to throw the ball was lacking. The Dolphins put him on the trade block after week 2 but ultimately they wanted a first for him and a player that they could use. It wasn’t until their trade discussions with the Dolphins that the idea of Tua being moved was an actuality. Tua will be missed in Miami, but his sixteen interceptions through four games was just too much for the ownership of the Dolphins. Tua is a franchise quarterback, but the Dolphins knew that the addition of Russell Wilson would put them in a better chance to bounce back this season as opposed to keeping Tua as the starting quarterback.
Xavien Howard –
Season 1 – 36 tackles, 7 interceptions, 3 pass deflections, and 1 touchdown.
Season 2 – 6 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 1 pass deflection.
Xavien Howard was a casualty of war. He played lights out for the Dolphins last season and was on his way to having his best season yet. The emergence of Noah Igbinoghene and the outstanding play of Byron Jones made Howard dispensable. Xavien Howard saved the Dolphins $13.5M in cap space and that freed up the cap space needed to bring Russell Wilson. Xavien Howard was not happy about the trade. He was seen arguing with his former owner as he left the facility of the Miami Dolphins.
