Tua Tagovailoa Beefed Up Last Year To Withstand Punishment, Now He's Gotten 'Svelte' To Improve Mobility

The constant reach for progress – which for the Miami Dolphins is clearly to win a playoff game and end the NFL's longest postseason win drought at 24 years – also has every individual on the team searching for improvement.

And that's where quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finds himself this offseason.

Looking for a better and correct version of himself.

Last year, the improved version Tagovailoa sought was about getting bigger. Heavier. The thinking seemed to be that a player who had suffered multiple concussions in 2022 and had never made it through an NFL season without injury, needed to bulk up to withstand his position's constant punishment. 

(Yes, there was also some Jiu Jitsu training involved in that, too).

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - AUGUST 27: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins looks on from the bench prior to playing the Philadelphia Eagles at Hard Rock Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

'Svelte' Tua In 2024

It seemed to work because Tagovailoa played all 17 regular season games and in Miami's playoff loss to Kansas City. So Tagovailoa's search for improvement was good.

But also a bit off. Because this year the quarterback is searching again and this time, one year after trying to get bigger, he's now gotten, well, leaner. So, a bit smaller.

At least that's the message from coach Mike McDaniel, who recently said his starting quarterback looks, "svelte."

So what's happening here?

Is heavier better? Or is svelte better?

Dolphins fans want to know because they're debating the apparent yes-no approach to Tua's weight scale. And as with so many things on social media, misinformation and rumor is the order of the day.

So was last year's weight gain a success to be celebrated or a mistake that is being corrected?

"That's a very understandable misconception," McDaniel said Tuesday before a Dolphins OTA practice. "It was not, we were not on an offseason weight program last year. It was strength. And so him getting stronger, and then the unintended consequences for him personally and how he saw his game, his strength increased but he, you know, he didn't really … 

"He felt he could have the same amount of strength and kind of reshape his body and be a little lighter on his feet."

Aha! An explanation with some transparency.

Mike McDaniel shared advice he tells players in light of Harrison Butker's speech. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Bigger Tagovailoa Didn't Move As Well

Tagovailoa's strength program a year ago got him bigger because, obviously, muscle weighs more. And that was good to give the quarterback some ability to withstand hits.

But the added weight seemed to limit Tagovailoa's mobility. Specifically, his running ability seemingly suffered in the form of diminished quickness.

It was obvious to anyone who saw Tagovailoa play in 2020 and '21. Never a speedster, he seemed a bit more plodding than before in 2023.

And the running stats showed as much, too.

Tagovailoa rushed for 6 TDs his first two seasons. No, not his job, but mobility is a plus rather than a minus. Last year, Tagovailoa had zero rushing TDs.

Having averaged 3 yards per rushing attempt his first three seasons, Tagovailoa's average dropped to 2.1 last season. And his rushing yards per game average were a career low as well.

So the offseason work this year is to keep Tagovailoa strong. While getting him leaner.

"It's kind of the natural evolution of you get stronger," McDaniel said, "and then you really pay attention to your diet and the times that you're eating, and when your caloric intake is, and those types of things, so he can maintain those strength gains while also being a little more limber within the pocket. 

"I think that''s what drove him to kind of attack that, which I think he's done a great job of."

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 15: Raheem Mostert #31 and Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins walk off the field after a win over the Carolina Panthers at Hard Rock Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

Will Limber Tua Be Able To Take A Hit?

This is good as long as Miami's more limber quarterback doesn't become injury prone again.

The NFL's best quarterbacks in recent years have shown the ability to win from the pocket. But almost all of them also have the ability to escape the pocket and make plays with their legs.

And even when they're not running for first downs and touchdowns, they have the ability to scramble and buy time, so they can convert a broken play into an off-script gain.

Josh Allen does it.

Patrick Mahomes does it.

Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert do it. 

They can all move. 

Tagovailoa has shown he generally can win from the pocket as well as those guys.

He led the NFL with 4,624 yards passing in 2023, while also setting career highs in completion percentage (69.3 percent) and touchdown passes (29).

But his running, well, not as good as those guys. He trailed 34 other quarterbacks in the rushing department last season. And that includes backups who played fewer games.

The Dolphins roster currently lists Tagovailoa's weight at the same 227 pounds as last year. And neither Tagovailoa nor McDaniel have been given an alternate weight.

But anecdotally, McDaniel is giving strong hints that the strength program and stricter diet are paying dividends in an important regard that has nothing to do with running.

"I think he without thinking has probably generated a little more force on some throws he's trying to drive," the coach said.  "… I think that connectivity to your game and finding or trying to unearth every iota of, of professional development, that in itself, you're heading in the right direction."