Former Alabama - and now Miami Dolphins - QB Tua Tagovailoa saw a significant drop in the NFL Top 100 voting for 2025, falling from No. 36 in 2024 all the way to No. 91 on this year's ranking, as voted on by NFL players.
NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@MiamiDolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa grabs the No. 91 spot! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/fNPJdgSM6z
— NFL (@NFL) July 4, 2025
Tagovailoa's fall has as much to do with his injury misfortune as anything else. The former Crimson Tide star QB missed six more games in 2024 due to a concussion, but his numbers were pretty similar to his brilliant 2023 campaign that landed him 54 spots higher on the same list.
Tagovailoa's QB Rating was actually slightly up last season from 2023 (101.4 from 101.1), and he completed a career-high 72.9% of his passes. He threw for 2867 yards and 19 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
The Dolphins went 6-5 in Tagovailoa's 11 starts last year, but a 2-4 mark in the six games he missed saw Miami finish 8-9 and miss the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Tagovailoa enters the 2025 season with a lot to prove
First and foremost, the Dolphins need Tagovailoa to remain healthy in 2025. He has only played a full 17-game season once in his five-year NFL career thus far. Injuries have plagued the left-handed savant throughout college and pro career.
Tagovailoa suffered an ankle injury during his sophomore season at Alabama which likely cost him the Heisman Trophy due to his struggles in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia. He was hampered throughout his junior season with the Crimson Tide before his collegiate career ended with a dislocated hip in a blowout win over Mississippi State.
Since becoming the 5th overall pick in the NFL Draft in 2020, Tagovailoa has dealt with multiple scary head injuries. He suffered his third documented concussion, and most likely his fourth, in a Thursday Night game last season against the Buffalo Bills.
Injuries have derailed his career thus far. He has still had a solid NFL career, but anyone who saw Tagovailoa burst onto the scene as a true freshman in Tuscaloosa in 2017 was sure he was going to be a star.
Those chances could be winding down. Even though Tagovailoa signed a 4-year, $212 million contract extension just a year ago, the Dolphins can get out of that contract rather easily following the 2026 season.
Some fans in Miami have already been clamoring for it. Tagovailoa's arm strength seems to have been affected by the numerous injuries, but he is still able to effectively run Mike McDaniel's scheme, which has been tailored to his strengths.
If Tagovailoa can stay healthy this season and lead the Dolphins back to the playoffs, he might see a significant jump on next season's Top 100.
