The Miami Dolphins bit the bullet and selected former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback No. 5 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. This decision was met by widespread optimism from fans in South Beach despite the serious injury Tua suffered late in his final season at Alabama.
Tua Tagovailoa’s hip injury seemed career-threatening at first
Going up against Mississippi State late last season, Tua suffered a dislocated hip and a fractured the posterior wall after being sacked. He underwent surgery almost immediately. Speculation arose that it might have been a career-threatening injury. That’s no longer the case.
Miraculous off-season recovery for Tua Tagovailoa
Renowned physical therapist Kevin Wilk, who has been working with Tagovailoa during the offseason, had a positive update on his client’s condition Saturday.
“He’s doing miraculously well,” Wilk said via, Safid Deen of the Sun Sentinel. “The miraculous part is that he healed so well. The second part is, he’s been so well at getting his strength back, which usually takes a long time after something like this.”
That’s just tremendous news for Tagovailoa and his Dolphins team. Given the grave initial estimates following his injury, this is also rather shocking.
Could Tagovailoa start for the Dolphins as a rookie?
Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick is currently viewed as the starter in Miami. He’s among the most underrated signal callers in the league. Even then, The Fins had been targeting Tua for the better part of a calendar year before drafting him.
The team is in rebuild mode. Getting the former Heisman finalist on the field sooner rather than later has to be seen as the goal here. There’s been differing reports on this. Previously in the offseason, one report suggested that Tagovailoa will spend his rookie season on the bench. A more recent report notes that it’s a “foregone conclusion” Tua will be the Dolphins’ Week 1 starter.
Regardless, Saturday’s news is a step in the right direction for the talented young signal caller.
As for the Dolphins, they finished last season with a surprising 5-11 record after some believed the team would go winless under first-year head coach Brian Flores.
After a solid offseason for Miami, expectations are going to be much higher heading into the 2020 campaign September.