Miami Dolphins star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has missed at least one game due to injury in each of his first three seasons with the team. But he has started in every one of the Dolphins’ 10 games so far this season.
One NFL executive recently praised him and the Dolphins franchise for the quarterback’s improved durability this season.
“They’ve done a good job protecting him by getting the ball out fast, taking the ball out of his hands on some of the sneaks, those sorts of things,” the exec told The Athletic. “Tua has really figured out when to give up on a play.”
Tagovailoa has a lengthy injury history that dates back to his time playing college football at the University of Alabama. Across his three-season stint with the prestigious program, he suffered a dislocated right hip, ankle sprain, quad strain, knee sprain and finger fracture.
The quarterback’s subpar injury luck carried over into his first three seasons with the Dolphins. During the 2021 regular season — his second season with the franchise — Tagovailoa missed three games with fractured ribs and one more game due to a finger fracture.
Additionally, Tagovailoa suffered multiple concussions last season. The first one he suffered was during a Week 4 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and he had to be stretchered off the field. Then on Dec. 25 against the Green Bay Packers, he suffered another concussion and subsequently sat out the rest of the season for the Dolphins.
The 25-year-old sat out four regular-season games for Miami a season ago as well as the team’s lone playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
Here’s to hoping that Tagovailoa will be able to avoid the injury bug for the remainder of the 2023 regular season and beyond. If the Dolphins want to make a deep playoff run, they’ll need their quarterback — who is arguably their most important offensive player — healthy and at his best.
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are coming off a 20-13 win against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Next up on the schedule for the Dolphins are the New York Jets, who are 4-6 and have lost their last three games. They own a 2-3 home record and 2-3 road record on the season.
