Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa talks season outlook, family and more as he surprises local school

As a second-year player, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa jokingly recounted entering a local Winn Dixie to get flowers for his mother, but with a hoodie over his head and glasses covering his eyes to hide his identity.

The 25-year-old has always maintained how he likes to keep his life out of the private eye, but at times that’s easier said than done as one of the most recognizable athletes in South Florida. However, as his star has grown, Tagovailoa has increasingly become a front-facing member of the community. During the offseason, he was spotted at a Panthers hockey game as he supported the team on its run to the Stanley Cup Final.

And on Tuesday, he made a trip to a local high school to give back.

With Gatorade’s Equity in Sports partnership and Good Sports, Tagovailoa surprised the Miami Edison Senior High School football and female flag football team with about $65,000 in new equipment and uniforms.

Tagovailoa spoke to the youth for a few minutes on their practice field and after posing for pictures, he spent time throwing passes to kids running routes.

“I’ve been given the opportunity by Gatordade, with their Equity in Sports [program], they’re committed to reducing the barriers to play for all these kids that don’t have much,” he later told the Miami Herald in a short interview. “And so, being able to give back to the community here is really special. And so for these kids, I know they’ve really appreciated it.”

In a week, Tagovailoa will be on another practice field, at the Baptist Health Training Complex for the start of a training camp, prepping for a season filled with big expectations for the Dolphins.

A breakout season that saw him miss the final five games because of concussions has only added more intrigue to the Dolphins after notable offseason additions such as cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. And the New York Jets trade for quarterback Aaron Rodgers has only made a division that’s been recently controlled by the Buffalo Bills tougher.

“I think it makes the entire division exciting,” he said. “There are no easy games. There are no games where you think, Ok, in my mind, ‘We got this game. We’ll beat this team.’ It’s going to be really good. It’s going to be really exciting for the fans to see and we’ve got a really good division.”

Outwardly, the change in Tagovailoa is palpable. He’s noticeably bulked up — “the goal was just to get stronger,” he said of his offseason regimen — and his right arm features a new tattoo sleeve that he’s not yet ready to reveal, covered by his black, long-sleeved shirt. Since last year, players and coaches have spoken about how much more comfortable Tagovailoa is and how that’s manifested in his interactions with others.

But inwardly, Tagovailoa has grown too, he acknowledged. Change is commonplace for any 20-something, but especially for him. He was candid about the ways the birth of his son and his marriage — he recently celebrated his one-year anniversary — have benefited him.

“There are a lot of things that I’ve said I’d never do until I had my kid,” he said. “Like, I never thought I would talk to him the way I talked to him. I never thought I would play with my son the way I would. I just feel like it’s too cringy for me and then now, I had my son, dang. I’m doing all the things I said I would never do.

“For me, it’s been perspective the entire time. What are the important things? What are things that aren’t important? And then you just chip away at that, things that are not important, they just don’t really matter.”

It’s a way of thinking that has served him well on and off the field. As Tagovailoa gears for his fourth NFL season and second with coach Mike McDaniel, attention will again be squarely on him, from his ability to stay healthy to how he builds off an impressive 2022 season. He’s spoken about how his jiu-jitsu training has helped him and said he may return to it during the bye week depending on how the season is going.

“I think the guys that we have in the locker room, it’s going to be different,” he said. “It’s going to help shape the culture of our team this year. And I think we’re really excited.”

He added: “I think the next step for me and our entire offense is mindset. When we catch the ball, what’s our mindset when we catch the ball? Ball placement as a whole, what’s our mindset for that? Footwork, reads, drops, all of that. And that’s what I feel like we needed to work on a lot more last year, was our mindset, especially getting down to the tougher games.”

Roster move

As rookies reported for training camp on Tuesday, the Dolphins announced they placed cornerback Ethan Bonner on the active/non-football injury list and placed linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh on injured reserve.

A league source told the Herald that Vandenburgh sustained an injury while training this offseason. He will miss the entirety of the 2023 season unless he’s released with an injury designation. Bonner has a minor illness, his agent told the Herald.