MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Much has been made of Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa learning jiu-jitsu this offseason. Heck, we’ve even had a full scouting report on his new tattoos.
Not as much attention, however, has been given to how he’s made the jump from 217 pounds at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine to 227 at this year’s training camp.
As he enters a potentially career-changing season, Tagovailoa revealed how he bulked up following Tuesday’s padded Dolphins practice
Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Is Bigger, Stronger
“Just a lot of heavier weights, a lot more reps with the heavier weights, things like that,” Tagovailoa said. “But everything that I did this offseason [involved] what would keep me on the field for the entirety of the season.
“We understand that freaky things can happen. You know, it’s football; it’s a physical sport. Not everything that you prepare for is what you’re going to get. So I did the best that I could, you know, to get myself ready and prepped for this season, as far as injuries.”
Tagovailoa has missed games due to injury in each of his last four seasons, dating back to college. But this past year was different, so much so that he even considered retirement after suffering two diagnosed concussions.
Part of the problem: He never really learned to fall the right way. He’s been so determined not to give up on plays — “It’s always tough,” Tua said — that he has, at times, put his own personal safety at risk.
Tagovailoa tried to change that this offseason with jiu-jitsu training, which is designed to dissipate the energy of the impact on his head. Tagovailoa is also trying out a new specialty helmet that the league believes is safer.
“I think I’ll start out with that helmet,” he said Tuesday. “I feel very comfortable with that helmet. Helmet feels good. We’ll see how that goes.”
One final point of clarification on the jiu-jitsu. Contrary to what you might have heard, Tua did not do a backflip in practice earlier this year.
“So let me give you context,” he explained. “I did not back flip, did not back flip. I got hit from someone in front of me. I have no idea who it was, but I sort of hit a little somersault going backwards, and I flipped backwards. No back flips over here, though.
“But I think to that, it was cool to see because now, in a weird way, it’s like the quarterback room cheers when we start to do that. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing that we’re doing jujitsu falls. But it’s hard to gauge that because that was the first time I’ve done it, and it’s hard to gauge it because they, these guys on the opposite side of the ball, have to stay away from the quarterback, and no one can really touch me. So the only time you can really put that to use is in a real, real live situation.”