Entering sixth season, Dolphins’ Tagovailoa focusing on avoiding injuries

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) - Entering his sixth season, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is still trying to show he can stay healthy on a consistent basis.

Tagovailoa missed six games last season because of two separate injuries and Miami finished 8-9, missing the postseason after playoff appearances the previous two years.

Tagovailoa talked about his injury history as he addressed reporters following the Dolphins' first day of minicamp at the club's practice facility Tuesday.

"Doing everything I can to stay available for the guys," Tagovailoa said. "Like I said before in the past, nothing changes with that."

However for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, staying healthy has proved challenging since the club drafted him as the fifth overall selection in 2020. With the exception of his standout season in 2023, Tagovailoa has dealt with multiple injuries, including concussions.

The most recent concussion - in a Week 2 home loss against the Buffalo Bills - sidelined him for four games last season. Tagovailoa scrambled for yardage then collided head-first with Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

"I would say the longevity for me to be on the field with my guys is more important than whatever that one play is," Tagovailoa said. "You have more quarters than there would be with just that one play.

"I show the guys that I'm competitive and I know they know that. It's just a nature thing. It comes natural to me to compete in that sense. And that's the thing I fight with."

The Dolphins were 1-3 during Tagovailoa's absence with backups Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley. A hip injury also forced Tagovailoa to sit the final two games of the season.

With Tagovailoa's long-term health remaining an issue, the Dolphins signed Zach Wilson to a one-year deal in the offseason. Wilson, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2021 draft, is attempting to jump-start his career after three unsuccessful seasons with the New York Jets and one year while backing up Bo Nix in Denver.

The quarterback depth chart also includes rookie Quinn Ewers, whom the Dolphins drafted in the seventh round following a standout college career.

"I think it's really working out for Zach," Tagovailoa said. "For certain practices, you guys aren't allowed to see the development he's made and the strides that he's made as a player. I would say the same for Quinn as well."

The Dolphins have plenty invested in Tagovailoa, who was injury-free in 2023 when he threw 29 touchdowns and for a league-high 4,624 yards. The Dolphins gave him a four-year, $212 million contract extension.

Three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith didn't participate Tuesday. Ramsey reportedly has requested a trade, while Smith, who caught a team-high 88 passes last season, is seeking to restructure his contract.