Fins say burlier Tua has more pitches in arsenal

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Tua Tagovailoa‘s offseason muscle gain is evident, and now Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is seeing the benefits on the practice field.

The Dolphins’ starting quarterback practiced jiu-jitsu in the offseason, part of a regimen to improve his durability after he missed the better part of six games, including the playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, with multiple concussions.

It remains to be seen what impact Tagovailoa’s added muscle will have on his availability, but other aspects of the quarterback’s game are already being aided.

“He really took his training on his body serious this offseason for a multitude of reasons, and I’ve seen various things where he has a little more short-area explosiveness, where you’re able to manipulate yourself in the pocket at a more explosive rate,” McDaniel said Thursday before practice.

“I don’t know this to be fact, but it appears by my layman’s eye that he has more pitches in his arsenal; he can layer stuff and drive it just with even more command. … He’s already pretty adept at [that] considering his accuracy. I think it just overall helps him feel prepared and execute a lot of things. And the residuals are apparent and various.”

Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 draft, led the NFL in passer rating last season at 105.5 in 13 games. With perhaps the league’s best receiver duo in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Tagovailoa was able to lead the Dolphins to their first playoff berth since 2016.

The 25-year-old said earlier this week that he also focused on “a lot more reps with the heavier weights,” part of an offseason program designed to “keep me on the field for the entirety of the season.”

“We understand that freaky things can happen,” Tagovailoa said. “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 to get myself ready and prepped for this season as far as injuries go.”

Raheem Mostert, the Dolphins’ starting running back, believes Tagovailoa’s timing has improved, too, as a result of the offseason work, and said the signal-caller is “delivering the ball in exceptional places.”

“I feel like he’s been able to utilize his legs a little bit more, and not in the running aspect, but settling down, getting his five-step and three-step timing right,” said Mostert, who racked up more than 1,000 all-purpose yards last season. “He seems like he’s finding his way in regards to the time management, how to work his feet and his lower body and his rhythm and his hips.”

It’s a pivotal training camp for Tagovailoa entering his fourth NFL season. The Dolphins picked up his fifth-year option in March, ensuring Tagovailoa is in the fold for 2024 at $23.4 million guaranteed.

He set career highs in passing yardage, touchdowns, completion percentage and passer rating in 2022, with 3,548 yards and 25 TDs alongside just eight interceptions.