Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Regresses At Practice After Dramatic Weight Loss

Tua Tagovailoa reportedly had a bad practice this week at the Miami Dolphins OTAs. The timing of Tua’s struggles comes as the quarterback is in a contract year. He must show he is capable of leading the Dolphins to that next step: a playoff win.

Tua Tagovailoa Lost Weight this Offseason

Head coach Mike McDaniel has made the Dolphins’ 24-year postseason win drought a point of emphasis this offseason. Tua took a considerable gamble on himself to help the Dolphins. As previously discussed by Matt Lombardo on GH, Tua lost weight in an effort to become more agile:

Not only did Tagovailoa report to Dolphins OTAs, despite his contract uncertainty, he also reportedly dropped weight over the offseason.

“Tua was in the building, throwing passes, and doing everything as normal,” according to Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network. “He forecasted that. I’ll be in OTAs, and will leave all of that contract stuff to my agent. Right now, contract negotiations are still ongoing, nothing is imminent yet, from what I understand.

“I talked to people around Tua and the Dolphins, and there isn’t much concern about this … He’s down to 220 pounds, from what I understand, and dropped 10-15 pounds this offseason, already.”

Miami Dolphins Players have Commented on the Change

NFL commentators are mixed on Tua’s decision to lose weight. Even his teammates, like Jaylen Waddle, are skeptical about Tua’s new weight. Per Chris Perkins with the Sun Sentinel, Waddle said Tua was looking good but missed his “chubby” frame:

“I told him, ‘I miss chubby Tua, man,’ ” Waddle said with a laugh. “I miss chubby Tua, man.

“I ain’t going to lie, I didn’t like it (the weight loss) when I saw him. I told him … eat some more or something, man.’ ”

While Tua might be more mobile, he may succumb to more injuries with a lighter weight. Injuries have been a major problem for Tua since he joined the NFL.

Tua struggled at OTAs this week

Inconsistent passing has been another issue for Tua, which hasn’t gone away this offseason. Per Adam H. Beasley with Pro Football Network, Tua couldn’t hit his targets during the 7-on-7 period. He sat out team drills:

After a lights-out day Tuesday, Tagovailoa came back to Earth a little Wednesday, having a couple of overthrows and short-armed passes in 7-on-7s. He again sat out team drills in protest of his contract situation.

Tua has always struggled with ball placement at times, so it’s hard to know how much of this is just his skillset or learning to play with a slimmer body. Tua’s weight loss will also affect his arm. He must adjust to his new weight when figuring out the power dynamics of setting his feet and slinging the ball.

Tua’s weight change this offseason threw a wrench in the front office’s research. One has to wonder if the front office wants to see how Tua’s new physique works during the regular season before extending his contract.

Remember, Tua’s offense scored just seven points in its last outing. The week before, it blew a Week 18 home game to the Buffalo Bills.