Tua Tagovailoa News: Stepping up as team leader

Tagovailoa (hip) has been an active participant at OTAs and has drawn praise from head coach Mike McDaniel for having "the most ownership of all the players on each and every down," Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post reports.

Tagovailoa looked sharp throwing Tuesday despite rainy field conditions, per Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, and he's displayed no lingering issues related to the hip injury that forced him to sit out the final two regular-season games of 2024. Now heading into Year 4 in McDaniel's offense, and with top wideouts Tyreek Hill (wrist) and Jaylen Waddle returning, the stage is set for Tagovailoa to hit the ground running in 2025, with excuses running out if this team again underperforms compared to expectation. In response to the concussion and hip injuries that partially derailed Tagovailoa in 2024, McDaniel deployed a new offensive philosophy prioritizing short-area targets to De'Von Achane and Jonnu Smith at the expense of Hill and Waddle. One of the largest offseason questions for 2025 fantasy projections remains whether the Dolphins reprise a similar approach, which would help keep Tagovailoa from taking hits behind an already-poor offensive line that lost Terron Armstead to retirement, or return to the aggressive stance that saw the southpaw turn in a league-leading 4,624 passing yards while playing all 17 regular-season games in 2023. Recent trade rumors surrounding Smith, who desires a new contract after breaking out in 2024, suggest a willingness to de-prioritize targets to the tight end position and return to funneling things through Hill and Waddle.