Omar Kelly: Tua Tagovailoa’s play shows he’s an asset Dolphins should be trying to build around — not looking to replace

It may not be sexy. But it’s efficient.

It’s not forceful. It’s fluid.

Judge Tua Tagovailoa by any standard you’d like to create and don’t be surprised when the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback clears the bar.

Sunday’s 33-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, who came into the game with the second-best defense the Dolphins (5-7) have faced this season, concluded the first 16 starts of Tagovailoa’s career.

That means his rookie season tenure finally closes, and upon further review, not even the toughest critic can downplay what the Dolphins’ 2020 first-round pick has accomplished.

The former Alabama standout has completed 351-of-524 passes (67%) for 3,515 yards, throwing for 21 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He’s also scored six rushing touchdowns.

Overall, he’s produced a 90.5 passer rating during that stretch, and delivered a 9-7 record as a starter when leading the Dolphins offense during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

In Ryan Tannehill’s last 16 starts with the Dolphins, which included wins in the 2016 season, he delivered a 10-6 record as Miami’s starter. That was seven years into his NFL career.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, a grizzled 17-year veteran, delivered a 9-7 record in his last 16 starts for Miami.

Consider that Tagovailoa has produced an identical number of wins in his first 16 starts, with trouble areas sprinkled everywhere on offense, and while having to overcome a major hip injury, two hand injuries and broken ribs.

Following Sunday’s game, which was his fourth 100-plus passer rating performance in eight games, Tagovailoa has the same passer rating (94.7) for the season as Kansas City star Patrick Mahomes. Both are tied for 17th in the NFL in that statistical ranking.

Tagovailoa is completing 70.5 percent of his passes for 7.3 yards per attempt. He’s thrown for 1,701 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions and has been sacked 10 times in the eight games he’s played this season.

Even with his limited arm strength, one that can’t make every NFL throw, and a history of being injury-prone, Tagovailoa has shown he can lead a team to wins in the NFL.

Once he cuts out his seemingly one bone-headed interception or the botched snap that typically plagues him once a game this season, his play should put the Dolphins in position to win more games than he loses. And that type of quarterback is something this franchise hasn’t had since Chad Pennington’s one magical season in 2008.

That’s why the Dolphins should turn the team’s focus to getting Tagovailoa a better offensive line and more playmakers because his efficient play has brought the Dolphins back to the land of relevance without the benefit of either.

He’s managed all this with a dismal offensive line, one that got significantly worse this year because of the turnstiles at offensive tackle, and the carousel of four centers the Dolphins have used to make it through the season.

And a lackluster run game, which is averaging 3.4 yards per carry this season, and 80.2 yards per game, and a pair of often-injured receivers (DeVante Parker and Will Fuller) who have missed more games than they have played.

Just imagine where he’d be with a team that has a mountain of a man like New England’s Trent Brown, a 28-year-old an impending free agent, protecting his blindside, a reliable tailback in the backfield, and a receiver opposite Jaylen Waddle, one who is actually reliable and durable like Chicago’s Allen Robinson, another impending free agent who calls South Florida home in the offseason.

It’s too early to tell what Tagovailoa can or will be in the NFL. That verdict likely won’t come until 2022 or 2023, when he’s seen every type of defense and adjustment teams can throw at him.

But now, at least this 16-start stretch, has shown he’s not the problem. He’s not a liability.

He shouldn’t even be the concern.

Tagovailoa’s efficiency shows he’s more of an asset than a hindrance, and that’s the type of player, the type of talent a team should be trying to build around — not look for an upgrade.