Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa 'Ready to Go,' Recovered from Injury Entering Camp

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can't wait to hit the field in his rookie season.

"I'd say I'm ready to go," he said, per Chris Bumbaca of USA Today. "It's kind of those things where you start getting the itch to get back out on the field, to be able to compete. It's going to be a new setting, so that's what's even more exciting."

Bumbaca also noted Tagovailoa said he has fully recovered from the right hip dislocation and posterior wall fracture he suffered in November while playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise the quarterback is feeling healthy, considering he said he felt "100 percent" during an appearance on SportsCenter in April before the draft.

Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network also reported at the time that Tagovailoa received "overwhelmingly positive" results from a voluntary medical recheck that included a "comprehensive exam" with an independent doctor chosen by NFL physicians.

It was enough to convince Miami to select him with the No. 5 pick and make him the future face of the franchise.

There was even something of a silver lining when it came to the injury rehab process, as the NFL allowed injured players to rehab at team facilities even though those sites were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I got to break the ice in that sense," he said as he prepares for his first NFL training camp.

Tagovailoa dazzled in his last fully healthy season with Alabama, throwing for 3,966 yards, 43 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2018 before he posted 2,840 passing yards, 33 touchdown throws and three interceptions in 2019 prior to the injury.

Production like that could help him land the starting spot over veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the rookie had nothing but respect for his fellow signal-caller, who's entering his 16th season.

"I have much respect for a guy like that," Tagovailoa said. "The way he takes care of his body, the way he takes care of things off the field. He's a coach in the meeting rooms for the offensive line, the receivers. I mean, he has the mindset of a coach but the heart of player."

Still, this will be Tagovailoa's team at some point, and the weight of turning things around will land on his shoulders.

Miami hasn't won a playoff game since 2000 and has been searching for a franchise quarterback since Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season. Fortunately for the Dolphins, Tagovailoa is at least fully healthy as he begins his career.