Listen Now! Is Tua good? And how does he stack up against other QBs in the NFL?

What will happen first?

Will the city of Miami be overtaken by the ocean, or will the Dolphins find a franchise quarterback?

For those not in the know, some estimates have sea level rise overtaking parts of the city by 2060. That's jarring.

Here’s a stat that’s not quite as serious, but jarring nonetheless: Since Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season, the Dolphins have started 24 quarterbacks.

They include: Jay Fiedler, Damon Huard, Lamar Smith, Ray Lucas, Brian Griese, A.J. Feeley, Sage Rosenfels, Gus Frerotte, Joey Harrington, Daunte Culpepper, Cleo Lemon, Trent Green, John Beck, Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Tyler Thigpen, Matt Moore, Ryan Tannehill, Jay Cutler, Brock Osweiler, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh Rosen, Tua Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett.

There have been three more quarterbacks who have played but not started: Pat White, JP Losman and David Fales.

And does Ronnie Brown count? He threw passes while also taking the wildcat. Ricky Williams took snaps, too.

Signs of encouragement: How do Tua Tagovailoa's first 16 NFL starts compare to peers? Pretty well.

Finally connecting: Schad: Tua, Waddle and Miami Dolphins operated exactly as designed

Tua going deep: Dolphins: We know Tua Tagovailoa can throw down the field

Maybe the question looming over Miami more than anything else these days: just two years in, can current starter Tua Tagovailoa still be a franchise quarterback?

Tua started his 16th career game this past weekend against the Carolina Panthers.

Injuries have limited him to start his career, but he’s also showed flashes of what the Dolphins hope he can be.

If you go back not too far into the past, Tua was the hottest quarterback prospect, maybe ever. Teams were supposedly “Tanking for Tua.”

In fact, the Dolphins looked to be doing just that in 2019 when they began the season 0-7. They seemed to fall out of the Tua running after they won five of their final nine games, but a devastating hip injury to Tua while still at Alabama led him to fall in the NFL Draft.

The Dolphins ended up drafting him at No. 5 overall even knowing he would not be ready to begin the 2020 season.

After Ryan Fitzpatrick played well to begin 2020, an odd back-and-forth ensued later in the season where Tua would start, but Fitzpatrick would relieve him late in games.

At one point, Fitzpatrick voiced frustration because he thought he should still be the starter.

This year, with Tua missing time, Jacoby Brissett came in to play and told the media he didn’t consider himself a “backup quarterback.” He thought of himself as a starter.

Then, at the trade deadline it seemed the Dolphins might trade Tua away to Houston for disgraced quarterback Dashaun Watson, but that fell apart at the last minute.

Continued below

Tua has become an enigma, and many are still wondering what kind of NFL quarterback he can turn out to be.

You can use different statistics to make the argument either way.

His quarterback rating, for instance, is 57.7 for the season. That’s considered below average. Yet, he’s eighth in the league. By comparison, Justin Herbert leads the league at 65.9.

Over the past several games, he’s been throwing the ball downfield more, including against the Jets two weeks ago when he completed his longest pass through the air for his career — a pass that traveled 53.1 yards in the air, with Mack Hollins finishing the play for a 65-yard touchdown.

While an answer may not be known by season’s end, there is someone who can give us the best insight possible into what the Dolphins have with Tua, and that’s Joe Schad, Dolphins beat writer for the Palm Beach Post. He’s the latest guest on “The *State* of Florida Sports Podcast, powered by the USA Today Network.

Joe’s seen a good number of those Dolphins starting QBs through the years, and he’ll be able to tell us how Tua stacks up. I also have Joe choose between Tua and other current middle-of-the-road NFL QBs. His choices may surprise you.

If you’re a Dolphins fan — or a fan of smart NFL discussions — you have to check out this podcast.

Join the tens of thousands that have downloaded us and find out why it gives you the best sports breakdowns in the state.

We can be downloaded wherever you listen to podcasts, or simply type in “The *State* of Florida Sports Podcast” into your favorite search engine and you’ll find several options to listen on, including Spotify. We also can be found on any of the 17 USA TODAY-Network Florida websites.

If you like it, you can check out previous shows, which feature current and former professional athletes and coaches, as well as our stable of journalists who cover beats and write columns, all of whom have a tie to the Sunshine State.

Contact Walters at twalters@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins reporter Joe Schad breaks down Tua Tagovailoa on state podcast