Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and the way his return will help the offense

The Miami Dolphins are expected to get starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

Tagovailoa missed four games due to a concussion, and the Dolphins went 1-3 during that time and scored just 40 total points. The Dolphins' offense ranks 26th in total yards per game and 29th in passing yards per game, while ranking last in points per game.

To say it's been difficult sledding without Tagovailoa is an understatement, and he knows exactly how things have looked over the last four games.

“It was frustrating” Tagovailoa said during his press conference on Monday. “Frustrating for sure, but I've tried to stay on top of it in the meetings with the guys and continue to be the leader for the guys in multiple position rooms in terms of what we're seeing on how to do the quarterback's job. “It's a little easier to do this and that, and then also some nuances within the offense to help everyone.”

Miami's starting signal-caller probably won't solve all of the offense's problems. The offense wasn't exactly going well when Tagovailoa went down in the first place.

However, Tagovailoa should solve a number of Miami's offensive problems. From small details to the big picture, Tagovailoa's return should at least make the Dolphins a functioning offense again.

Here are three areas where he can immediately improve this weekend.

One of the many reasons for Miami's recent offensive woes is the lack of production from star receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. Hill had just 140 yards on 14 catches without Tagovailoa in the lineup, while Waddle had 119 yards on 13 catches.

These stats wouldn't be out of place as single-game lines for Hill and Waddle if Miami's offense clicks. Last week was the worst example, as the two finished with two catches for 19 yards.

There were several factors for this. The Dolphins wanted to take advantage of tight end Jonnu Smith's matchup and run the ball a lot against the Colts. However, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley was not on the same page as Hill and Waddle.

The Dolphins had a lot of concepts that gave Hill and Waddle the lead, but Huntley didn't pass the ball. Many of these were the classic midfield in-cutting routes that Tagovailoa is so successful on.

These concepts rely on timing, trust and footwork, making them difficult for backup quarterbacks to implement, especially someone who wasn't with the team all summer, like Huntley.

“It's really hard to ask any of our quarterbacks to do the footwork that we've done the last two years, see fast guys running and see the space that's there and ask them to “To somehow process all of this,” Tagovailoa said.

“We watched the film and could see what we missed and what we could have improved, but it's a team sport. It shouldn't take a single position for the whole thing to collapse. Everyone has to keep an eye on their Ps and Qs too.”

There were a lot of more traditional concepts with Huntley and Miami's other backups missing Hill and Waddle, but with Tagovailoa returning, some of the slightly timed throws should return to the offense.

This goes hand in hand with Hill and Waddle being more involved in the offense again. Last season, the Dolphins ranked eighth in the NFL with 59 passes of at least 20 yards. Through the first seven weeks of the season, the Dolphins ranked third with 28 of these passes.

Without Tagovailoa playing much, this season was a different story.

Miami ranks last with 11 completions of over 20 yards. The teams just ahead of the Dolphins are the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots – three of the most offensively challenged teams in the league.

Tagovailoa is one of the few quarterbacks in the league who can consistently generate explosive plays without holding onto the ball for too long. With Tagovailoa out, Miami's time to throw has increased, but it hasn't resulted in big plays.

From Weeks 3 to 7, Miami is ranked 18th. In Weeks 1 and 2, the Dolphins were 31st in time to throw, with the New York Jets being the only team to get the ball out quicker.

Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle and Huntley held the ball longer, but did not produce any explosive plays.

Tagovailoa — whatever one thinks of his deep-ball accuracy — should solve that problem immediately, assuming he doesn't have to shed too much rust. Additionally, with the ball coming out quicker, the Dolphins offensive line should be better protected.

To be fair to the offense, it's not like they played poorly without Tagovailoa. According to PFF, Miami's offensive line has allowed the fewest pressures in the league so far (62).

Still, Tagovailoa's ability to minimize the impact of a pass rush while giving his speedy receivers a chance to make an explosive play is one of the reasons Miami's offense has been so good the last two seasons.

Expect this to happen again in Week 8 against the Cardinals.

The Dolphins are one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to pre-snap penalties. Miami committed nine false starts, six illegal formations and five illegal shifts. The real head-scratchers are the latter two.

The league average for illegal formations and shifts is 1.94 and 1.13, respectively. The Dolphins are the league leaders in this area and have often found themselves behind the posts this season.

Tagovailoa's return should alleviate some of those concerns. The Dolphins offense loves to use pre-snap moves, which usually include a player going up right at the snap. It has to be timed perfectly to ensure everyone is ready and no one is left offside prematurely.

Tagovailoa has mastered this over the last two seasons, allowing the Dolphins to utilize movement more effectively than pretty much any other team. Against the Jaguars and Bills, Miami's offense was not cited for illegal lineups or shift penalties. However, they were accused of two illegal special teams formations.

It's an incredibly small detail, but these penalties have had an impact on Miami's offense. With Tagovailoa out, the Dolphins have reduced certain moves.

Against the Colts, they still used it, but the orbit moves (where a player runs behind the quarterback and running back) and run starts for Hill and Waddle were mostly missing.

The Dolphins needed to make things easier for Huntley, but proper lineups were an issue even for Thompson in his snaps against the Seahawks.

This necessary adjustment took a key element of the Dolphins' offense and turned it from a strength into a weakness. Tagovailoa's mastery of the offense should get things back to normal.