Tua Tagovailoa's season ended on the sideline, with the Miami Dolphins quarterback missing the team's final two regular-season games and postseason loss due to concussion issues.
The quarterback has spent the offseason doing jiu-jitsu and gaining muscle in hopes of stiff-arming the injury bug that has plagued his young pro career.
"Offseason training has been good," he said Monday at his second-annual "Luau with Tua" event benefitting his foundation, via the Palm Beach Post. "Been working on strength in many areas and been chipping away at things that I felt like I needed to work on to get to where I feel like I can get to in the later parts of the season."
Tua missed four regular-season games and the playoff defeat to the Buffalo Bills, a game in which the Dolphins were forced to start rookie seventh-rounder Skylar Thompson under center. Through the first three seasons of his career, Tagovailoa has never played in more than 13 games.
He's aiming to change the narrative that he can't stay healthy in 2023.
Despite the chance to bring in an experienced veteran to replace or push Tua this offseason, the Dolphins have propped up the former first-round pick at every turn. They've already exercised his $23.17 million fifth-year option for 2024. The team added Mike White as insurance but didn't go out and push to move on from Tagovailoa.
Instead, the Dolphins operated as a team that believes it can win a championship with Tua under center. They brought back key pieces on offense, traded for star corner Jalen Ramsey and signed linebacker David Long on defense.
"I'm very excited," he said. "I think our entire team is excited to get back out there. Get to meet a lot of the newer guys and guys who have been in this system for a whole year now. So it's very exciting. And I think a lot of fans, the community, everyone is very supportive."
Entering Year 2 under coach Mike McDaniel, Tua, sporting a new mustache this offseason, believes the horizon is brighter.
"How do I feel now compared to a year ago? I'm smiling a lot more," he said. "So I would say good."
If Tua stays healthy in 2023, Dolphins fans will be smiling a lot more, as well.
