Before joining the Dolphins in 2022, offensive tackle Terron Armstead played his first nine seasons with the Saints.
That means he got an up-close, day-to-day view of quarterbacks Drew Brees and Tua Tagovailoa before electing to retire this offseason.
In an interview with the Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday, Armstead noted why he feels like Brees and Tagovailoa have plenty of similar qualities — though Armstead did acknowledge Tagovailoa has plenty more to prove.
“I see similarities. I’m not saying they’re the same player or same person, no two people are,” Armstead told Eisen. “The anticipation, the accuracy, timing of throws, the ability to knock a wing off a fly repeatedly. Those guys throw darts. They don’t throw to areas, they are very precise. And that’s an elite talent, it’s an elite trait. Very few people possess [it]. He’s one of them and Drew Brees is another.”
Why hasn’t Tagovailoa been able to put it all together?
“I would say time on task,” Armstead said. “Having more experience, getting more reps, getting more snaps. I don’t know exactly where Drew Brees was going into his sixth year. I know he had a shoulder that had to get reconstructed when he signed to New Orleans and really pushed his career even further, to be the Hall of Famer player that he was.”
Brees signed with the Saints in the 2006 offseason, leading up to his sixth year. He’d been a Pro Bowler in 2004, but in 2005 had completed 64.6 percent of his throws for 3,576 yards with 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
But while Brees’ shoulder was a significant question before he signed with New Orleans, he had also started at least 15 games three times in his career. To this point, Tagovailoa has reached that mark just once — in 2023, when he started all 17 contests.
Part of Tagovailoa’s lack of availability has been his tendency to take unnecessary risks, which is an issue he’s still working through. But also, Tagovailoa has not necessarily come through in big moments, particularly when Miami has played cold-weather games.
“The thing about Tua, he plays the game with such love for the game. He’s such a fierce competitor,” Armstead said. “He is willing to put his body on the line in any situation. But he has to understand — and I think he’s starting to understand — his value is deeper than any one play or any one game. Him being out of the lineup changes the franchise — it does. It changes the identity of the offense, it changes the franchise. So, I believe that he has to play the game with that in mind, as opposed to let me do whatever I need to do to get this first down. That first down is not nearly as valuable as him being there the next series.”
The upcoming season will be significant for Tagovailoa, who is one of several Dolphins to note a difference in culture during OTAs. But the spring comments won’t mean much if Tagovailoa and the Dolphins can’t get it done on the field in the fall.
“Yeah, he has narratives in front of him that have to be answered,” Armstead said. “Not necessarily by me or in an interview form, it’s from him, and his play, and getting the job done. Any quarterback or any team that [doesn’t] hoist that trophy at the end of the year, you have questions, you have narratives, you have challenges, you have adversity, you have things to answer. Only team that don’t really have that is Philly. Everybody else, they have their questions going into the season. Tua has his questions, and it’s up to him to answer these question — not me.
“Do I believe he can? I do. Do I believe he will? I do.”
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