Tua Tagovailoa's practice habits with Miami Dolphins could revolutionize the NFL

After making it through just 13 games last season, the Miami Dolphins need to do something different with Tua Tagovailoa in 2023. We’re already seeing evidence of that early on during organized team activities, but not in a way that’s likely to help him stay healthy.

Well, maybe.

According to head coach Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins have placed both a camera and a microphone on the side of Tagovailoa’s helmet during practices this offseason. Coach McDaniel downplayed the additional equipment, saying it’s not anything “earth-shattering.”

“It’s not anything earth shattering, it’s a camera, but it does have audio, and I think some of the strong attributes of that technology are that you get to hear play calls, you can library those play calls for players to hear when they’re studying.”
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on Tua Tagovailoa’s new helmet cam

McDaniel may not think it’s a huge deal, and with how tight-lipped NFL organizations are about their methods of advancement, it’s not surprising to hear the Dolphins coach brush this off as insignificant. As an outsider, we find this development fascinating.

We can only imagine any QB having access to more film, but in this case, the ability to go back and review exactly what he saw and when he saw it, in relation both to the coverage he sees, in addition to the pressure he faces.

Having an overhead view, such as the All-22 film is great, but there’s no way to stay tuned to where the QB’s eyes are, which reads he’s making, or how the coverage appears in live-action. Now Tagovailoa, and presumably several others, will be able to look back and hopefully learn from their previous mistakes.

As McDaniel explained, “It’s a tool to help really drive home certain coaching points and just see what they’re seeing, to be on the same page as the player.” To us, this sounds like the next great way to coach and train quarterbacks. Whether the latest technology turns out to be short-lived or the next great innovation remains to be seen, but we love the idea.