Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, is working hard to stay on the field more. He enters 2025 healthy, as he’ll have just completed the first of a four-year, $212.1 million extension that kicks in this year. After a challenging 2024 season in which he missed a career-high six games due to injuries, Tagovailoa emphasizes the importance of prioritizing his health for the upcoming season.
In 2024, Tagovailoa fell victim to a serious hip injury in a Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans. Although he managed to play through the injury the following week in a win over the San Francisco 49ers, he ultimately aggravated it and was sidelined for the final two games of the season. While he loves playing at a fast pace, this experience has tuned him into paying greater attention to his longevity and when/where he needs to protect himself during games.
As general manager chris grier alluded to, Tagovailoa must remain healthy and play all 17 games. He said injuries stemming from dangerous plays are just not worth it. Grier’s concerns resonate with head coach Mike McDaniel, who remarked that he, like everyone else, wants Tagovailoa to remain healthy. During the course of the offseason, Grier and McDaniel have continuously echoed the mantra of putting health first to the Dolphins’ new starting QB.
Tagovailoa has taken this advice seriously. He said, “Just doing all that I can to stay available for the guys. As I talked about back in the day, that all stays the same. It’s having an instinct for when to call it quits on a play.” He knows that real competition is key to doing big things. He understands that should not be at the cost of his health.
Beyond ensuring his health, Tagovailoa has shown an optimum release that fits into today’s NFL. Since McDaniel came aboard in 2022, he’s given the left-handed QB the NFL’s fastest average time to throw. He gets the ball out in an average of 2.45 seconds! This brand of efficiency is central to his low-risk, high-reward strategy to maximize time spent on the field.
As Tagovailoa gets set to start the new season, he sounded hopeful and encouraged about his health from the significant hip injury. He started to “feel a little bit better” in February. He promised fans that it wouldn’t be a problem going forward, so long as he takes the right precautions when playing in games.
I don’t just think practice is important, he stated in his testimony. It may seem simple, but it all starts with planning. He drew attention to the value of rehearsing realistic game situations. This new technique allows him to avoid taking harm’s way by being able to slide or throw the ball away much quicker.
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