Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is in the middle of a pivotal offseason.
While some had wondered if the 2020 first-round pick was going to give up football after suffering multiple concussions, Tagovailoa made it clear he intended to keep playing. Since then, he’s reportedly been putting in the work to finetune himself physically and mentally.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler detailed an example of some reported leadership growth from Tua during an appearance on SportsCenter this weekend, telling viewers about the young signal caller stopping a recent practice session and imploring his teammates to up their play.
“I was told that’s a leadership quality that maybe two years ago, Tua doesn’t do,” Fowler said.
Dolphins Tua Growing pic.twitter.com/Y1YHHLlugN
— Follow @NFL_DovKleiman (@nfldov) June 4, 2023
Fowler’s report sparked some reaction from NFL diehards.
“Uce on the loose,” one Dolphins fan said.
Uce on the loose https://t.co/72MRMrmuei
— fatheresaiof5 (@Mcdangovailoa) June 4, 2023
“Happy he’s coming into his own. Hope he has a long healthy career,” a Bengals fan added.
Happy he’s coming into his own. Hope he has a long healthy career https://t.co/0WriBukNZb
— Sargent WhoDey (@SargeWhoDey) June 4, 2023
“Am I wrong or has Tua been through an insane amount of adversity for a young QB?” another Dolphins fan asked. “Devastating hip injury, team leadership seemingly ready to replace him with [Deshaun] Watson, almost career-ending concussion injuries?? His perseverance cannot be overstated.”
am i wrong or has tua been through an insane amount of adversity for a young qb? devastating hip injury, team leadership seemingly ready to replace him with watson, almost career-ending concussion injuries?? his perseverance cannot be overstated https://t.co/qjwsxv96HX
— ryan 🐬 (@Wilky_313) June 4, 2023
“Leadership baby!” a third Dolphins fan chimed in.
Leadership baby!! https://t.co/GHe36TBLkZ
— Kelvin Smith (@Nikes_Own) June 4, 2023
From a physical standpoint, Tagovailoa has reportedly been learning jiu jitsu in order to be able to fall forward and protect his head when taking a hit.
In 13 regular season games last fall, Tagovailoa passed for 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions.