Dolphins' Mike McDaniel addresses Tua Tagovailoa training to avoid concussions

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel sounds optimistic that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa training this offseason to avoid future head injuries will pay off for all involved. 

"I’ve seen a guy that has followed through on his words as much as any young man I’ve come across in my career," McDaniel told reporters about Tagovailoa on Tuesday, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. "You talk about going above and beyond [with] training and martial arts. We’ve incorporated it into some of the drill work we do with the quarterbacks."

It was reported in March that Tagovailoa was training in jiu-jitsu "to learn how to fall" and prevent the types of setbacks that plagued him this past season. Specifically, the 25-year-old suffered a minimum of two concussions during the 2022 campaign and spent over a month in the league's concussion protocol. After the Dolphins picked up the fifth-year option attached to Tagovailoa's rookie contract that guarantees him roughly $23.2M for 2024, he admitted he considered retirement this past winter with his long-term health in mind. 

Miami was repeatedly linked in offseason rumors with Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson and retired free agent Tom Brady. Brady reportedly is about to become a limited partner of the Las Vegas Raiders but hasn't completely dismissed the idea of possibly returning to feature for the Dolphins in the event they lose Tagovailoa to injury at some point this year. 

A healthy Tagovailoa was a Most Valuable Player candidate last fall. Per ESPN stats, he ended the regular season leading the league with a 105.5 passer rating and 8.9 yards per pass attempt. He ranked third with a 68.8 adjusted QBR and tossed 25 touchdown passes with eight interceptions across 13 games. 

While Tagovailoa proved he has the talent to win big with a championship contender, he now has to show McDaniel and the rest of the Dolphins he can survive playing a 17-game season. McDaniel's comments offered the latest reminder that Tagovailoa's health will continue to be the top concern hovering over the Dolphins for the foreseeable future.