Tua Tagovailoa added weight during the 2023 offseason, but so far this year, he’s been on a mission to lose it.
“I think the results speak for themselves. He’s svelte,” Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said last week.
But is that wise? A year ago, the quarterback finished an entire season without missing a game due to injury for the first time in his career. And it hardly seems coincidental that it coincided with his thicker frame.
“That’s a very understandable misconception,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tuesday. “We were not on an offseason weight program last year — it was strength. So him getting stronger and the unintended consequences for him personally and he saw his game, his strength increased but he felt like he could have the same amount of strength and kind of reshape his body and be a little lighter on his feet.”
Translation: it was strength, not size that made the difference in 2023. And the Dolphins believe Tagovailoa can keep that strength while also adding quickness to his game.
Tagovailoa, 26, was sacked a career-high 29 times in 2023, although that can mostly be explained by his participation in all 17 games. However, he only managed 4.4 rushing yards per game, a career low.
“He can maintain those strength gains while also being a little more limber in the pocket,” McDaniel said Tuesday. “I think is what’s drove him to kind of attack that, which he’s done a great job of.”
Last season, the Dolphins listed Tagovailoa at 227 pounds. In 2022, he was listed at 217 pounds.
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