Tua Tagovailoa Making 'Some Good, Some Bad' Plays at Dolphins Training Camp

Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said Wednesday rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has had an up-and-down start to training camp.

"Some good, some bad," Flores told reporters. "Some good throws and good decisions, some throws that aren't so good and some decisions that weren't so good."

The Dolphins selected Tagovailoa out of Alabama with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. He was the second quarterback off the board behind LSU's Joe Burrow, the No. 1 choice by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Tagovailoa was terrific across three years with the Crimson Tide. He completed 69.3 percent of his throws for 7,442 yards with 87 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 32 appearances. He added 340 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground.

The 22-year-old Hawaii native dealt with injury problems over his final two seasons at Bama. He suffered a high-ankle sprain both years and his collegiate career came to a premature end when he suffered a serious hip injury in November.

Tagovailoa explained Thursday he's feeling good but he's waiting for his first full-speed hit to see how his body responds.

"You just never know until it actually happens," he said. "I won't know the feeling until I actually do get tackled, so it's almost like that trial-and-error kind of thing. You've got to go out and do it in order to know if it does hurt or it doesn't."

The 2018 SEC Offensive Player of the Year is competing with incumbent starter Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen for his place on the Dolphins' Week 1 depth chart.

Even if the Dolphins opt for Fitzpatrick to open the season, a decision made more likely when the preseason was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, it would be a surprise if Tagovailoa doesn't end up drawing some starts by the end of his debut campaign.

Miami is set to open the regular season Sept. 13 when it visits Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Patriots, who also have an unsettled quarterback situation.