DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is closing in on a year since the devastating hip injury at Alabama that threatened to end his career, and questions about his health have followed him since that Nov. 16, 2019, date.
During Sunday's 34-31 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Tagovailoa flashed some of the playmaking ability with his arm and legs that made people fall in love with him in college. On Wednesday, Tagovailoa reminisced about his journey and how close he is to his prime form.
"Oh, man. I don't know if I'll ever be my old self," Tagovailoa said. "You know because when something dramatic like that happens, it's just a continuous process for me. Continuing to focus on what I need to do to continue to strengthen the muscles around my hip. And just continue to stay on rehab. But I mean, it's been a journey. It's been a journey. Looking back at that whole process."
"Literally almost a year from now, we were making a decision to decide if I was going to be able to play again or not, so I'm just blessed to be here."
The Dolphins have been happy with this version of Tagovailoa, who threw for 248 yards, ran for 35 yards and had two touchdowns, zero turnovers and a 87.6 QBR Sunday. One play that left his teammates buzzing was a run early in the fourth quarter when he gave Cardinals safety Budda Baker a dead leg juke in the open field to get a first down on third-and-4.
"That was great to see. I didn't know he had it in him," receiver DeVante Parker said. "He put on some good moves against them. I'm happy for him."