Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa Discusses New Helmet, Offseason Training to Avoid Injuries | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa provided more insight into the steps he has taken in an effort to remain healthy and upright throughout the 2023 NFL season.

The fourth-year quarterback told reporters Tuesday he's trying out a new helmet, which is "like a percentage better than the helmet that I had."

"Everything matters and so I'm going to play that percentage," he said. "So if you look at it last year, it wasn't anyone really hitting my head. It was really just the ground."

The southpaw said the new headgear "feels good," and he intends to continue wearing it to open the regular season.

Tagovailoa showed up to team workouts in May looking noticeably stronger, another topic he addressed during his media conference. He told reporters he did "a lot more reps with the heavier weights" to better fill out his 6'1" frame.

Brett Kollmann @BrettKollmann

Tua looks heavier than 215 now. And I mean that in a good way. <a href="">

"But everything that I did this offseason entailed to what would keep me on the field for the entirety of the season," he said. "We understand that freaky things can happen. It's football. It's a physical sport. Not everything that you prepare for is what you're going to get. So, I did the best that I could to get myself ready and prepped for this season as far as injuries go."

The 25-year-old has yet to log a full season since entering the NFL in 2020. Last year, he suffered multiple concussions that led him to miss four games, including Miami's AFC Wild Card Round defeat to the Buffalo Bills.

Tagovailoa previously explained in February how he was taking judo classes, which might help him learn how to fall in ways that better protect his body.

Will Manso @WillManso

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa tells <a href="">@UpAndAdamsShow</a> that he has a plan to take judo this offseason to learn how to fall better. Things to help him avoid head issues next season. <a href="">

Thanks to the arrival of Tyreek Hill and the continued improvement of Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins signal-caller had a career year in 2022. He threw for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns while leading the NFL in passer rating.

If Tagovailoa carries that production into 2023 and stays on the field, then Miami has a good shot of dethroning the three-time reigning AFC East champion Buffalo Bills.