Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been limited by injuries throughout much of his five-year career in the NFL. But despite this, Tagovailoa made it clear on Wednesday that he intends on competing in the preseason to get some more snaps under his belt for the upcoming 2025 season.
In recent years, the Dolphins have opted to keep Tagovailoa on the sidelines throughout the preseason in order to preserve is health, which certainly makes sense considering all of his devastating head injuries in the past.
But on Wednesday, Tagovailoa spoke with reporters and outlined why he believes it is important to show his teammates that he isn’t “too cool” to get reps in the preseason.
“I’d definitely love to get some preseason snaps in. No doubt,” Tagovailoa said, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com. “It’s a new season, it’s a new year. Got to get things tuned in with the guys again, all of that. I don’t think I’m better than anyone on this team or think I’m too cool to get reps in during preseason games. Nah, I don’t mind that at all. I would love that.”
On one hand, Tagovailoa playing the preseason could help him get his timing in a live game setting before the start of the 2025 season, which is important for any quarterback.
But with that being said, Tagovailoa’s history of head injuries certainly at least raises red flags to the idea that Tagovailoa should see any extended time in the preseason.
Regardless, it sounds like if Tagovailoa gets his way, he will at least see a small portion of snaps in the preseason. So hopefully, Tagovailoa gets what he wants and is able to stay healthy in the process.