Tua Tagovailoa says he's Dolphins franchise QB, but needs 'jump'

Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Rookie Tua Tagovailoa said Thursday he is the Miami Dolphins' franchise quarterback, but needs to make a second-year "jump" after what he has admitted was a "below average" 2020 campaign.

Tagovailoa made the comments during an appearance on NFL Network.

The No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft showed glimpses of stardom, but was inconsistent and benched twice this season. He finished the campaign with 11 touchdown passes and five interceptions in 10 games for the 10-6 Dolphins.

The lack of a breakout season, demotions and inconsistency in Tagovailoa's play have led to off-season speculation that the Dolphins could be interested in one of the several available and more experienced experienced quarterback options in free agency.

"What I can do is just control what I can control," Tagovailoa told NFL Network, when asked about the speculation. "My focus is being the best person that I can be. Working hard. Making this year one to year two jump in the NFL."

Tagovailoa was limited in workouts before last year's draft due to his recovery from a hip injury he sustained in his final season at Alabama.

He also did not have a full training camp schedule due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, which resulted in a canceled preseason and limited in-person activities for NFL teams.

"This will be my first offseason," Tagovailoa said. "I think [I'll have] an offseason where I can now try to focus on other things aside from the rehab side of things.

"I can focus more on film work. I can focus more on my footwork, my pocket presence [and] things like that."

Tagovailoa admitted he needs to work on his ability to read defenses before the snap. He said he wants to develop a better understanding of where his teammates will be on offense.

"The biggest thing I want to work on is my presnap operation," Tagovailoa said.

Appearing Thursday on ESPN, Tagovailoa said he has not talked with the Dolphins about the trade rumors. Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in January that Tagovailoa would be the Dolphins' "starting quarterback" going forward.

"This first season did not live up to the expectations I had," Tagovailoa told ESPN. "It's not what I expected. It gives me another opportunity this off-season to work on the things I didn't do as well."

The Dolphins have the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith has been one of the top prospects linked to the Dolphins in mock drafts. Tagovailoa and Smith were college teammates for three seasons.

"If it happens, it happens," Tagovailoa told NFL Network about his chances of reuniting with Smith. "If it doesn't, that's just the way the cookie crumbles."