Tua Tagovailoa on Hip Injury: 'I Don't Know That I'll Ever Be My Old Self'

Tua Tagovailoa has recovered enough from his dislocated hip to step onto the field for the Miami Dolphins, but he may not be back to where he was before the injury.

"I don't know if I'll ever be my old self because when something dramatic like that happens, it's just a continuous process for me," the rookie quarterback told reporters Wednesday. ... "I continue to strengthen my hips and continue to stay on my rehab. I'm just blessed to be here."

His comments aren't revelatory since they echo what he said in December, per AL.com's Michael Casagrande:

"I don't think I'd be the same again because there's, like metal in here, you know? I lose some rotation inward, so I won't be able to twist as much inward and whatnot. I wouldn't need that as much. When you're running, you're almost always opening up your hip. From the doctors say, they expect a full recovery and I'll be able to go out there and play football again at 100 percent, it's just I won't be able to rotate it internally the same way."

As soon as the gravity of his injury became apparent, Tagovailoa's long-term health was a primary concern. While not a parallel situation, a major hip injury ended Bo Jackson's football career.

The fact that the former Alabama star is already starting for the Dolphins shows how well his recovery has unfolded. This spring, the idea of giving him a redshirt year was thrown around. Following Miami's Week 7 bye, he took over under center for Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Tagovailoa was a wasn't too sharp in his first start, going 12-of-22 for 93 yards and one touchdown in a 28-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams. He was far better this past Sunday, throwing for 248 yards and two touchdowns as the Dolphins beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-31.

Even if his hip injury limits Tagovailoa's mobility, he only ran for 340 yards in 32 games for the Crimson Tide. The Dolphins didn't select him fifth overall with the idea of turning him into the next Lamar Jackson or Russell Wilson.

It's still too early to make any judgments, but his performance against Arizona showed why Miami made him its quarterback of the future despite the lingering questions about his hip.