Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa proving that offseason jiu-jitsu training is already paying off on the field

Tua picked up the martial art to learn to fall more safely to help curb the risk of more head injuries

One of the major wild cards surrounding the Dolphins prospects for the 2023 season is the durability of Tua Tagovailoa. Miami's quarterback is coming off a year where he suffered multiple concussions and was unable to suit up down the stretch, including the club's playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. 

If Tagovailoa is available for the Dolphins throughout the season, they have a strong chance to crash the party in the AFC East and make a playoff push. With every hit Tagovailoa takes, however, Dolphins fans will be collectively holding their breath. 

To help curb that risk of more head injuries, the 25-year-old added jiu-jitsu training to his offseason regimen with the idea of the martial art helping him absorb contact and fall to the ground in a safer manner. 

As Miami wrapped up its preseason slate against the Jaguars on Saturday, Tagovailoa's training does appear to be translating onto the field. After making a pass off a fake toss, Tagovailoa was shoved to the ground by Jacksonville pass rusher Josh Allen. The quarterback can then be seen rolling over and popping right back up unharmed. 

Yet another example of Tua using his momentum to his advantage after hits.

Here he absorbs the contact, rolls over, and pops right back up. Tua and his team made this a priority, and it's paying off already. pic.twitter.com/b8NmvQcqpB

— Tyler DeSena (@DeSenaSports) August 28, 2023

This is a stark difference from the way Tagovailoa was hitting the ground last season, as you can see from this side-by-side video where it shows the back of the quarterback's head smacking the ground in the Dolphins' Week 2 matchup against the Bills in 2022. 

Here's a side by side of a hit Tua Tagovailoa took yesterday (left) and a similar hit he took during Week Two of last season vs. the Buffalo Bills (right).

The difference in control and momentum is staggering. Great work from him and his team. https://t.co/KAtcx7bOnH pic.twitter.com/wvxefaF0HV

— Tyler DeSena (@DeSenaSports) August 28, 2023

When shown this latest video, Tagovailoa's jiu-jitsu coach told ESPN, "This clip is amazing. We literally drilled this every single session."

"For guys at my position, we barely get hit throughout practices, throughout the offseason, even going into training camp," Tagovailoa said to ESPN earlier this offseason about his jiu-jitsu training. "We don't even get touched until the season starts. So I mean, with jiu-jitsu, I've been thrown airborne, I've been put in many uncomfortable positions for me to learn how to fall and try to react throughout those positions that I'm getting thrown around in."

When Tagovailoa was on the field last season, he was playing at arguably the highest level of his career. Even playing in just 13 games, he finished with a career-high 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns to go along with a 105.5 passer rating. The Dolphins were also 8-5 in Tagovailoa's 13 starts. 

So, if this training continues to provide dividends and keeps Tagovailoa on the field in 2023, that could mean great things for Miami.