Tua Tagovailoa: “My hip feels 10x better than it did last year.”

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa drew praises from teammate Mike Gisecki and head coach Brian Flores during a Wednesday press conference. Tua spent the offseason in South Florida organizing practices with his wide receivers twice a week at a local park. In addition to his check-ins at the team facility and gathering wide receivers for extra practices, Tagovailoa worked out at "PER4ORM" a training facility in Fort Lauderdale.

"He's definitely more comfortable. Has a better rapport with his teammates," said Flores. I've seen him with a better understanding of how we practice. We've seen that from him so far."

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Tua also spoke with the media on Wednesday. "My hip feels 10x better than it did last year." Tagovailoa started nine games as a rookie in 2020, compiling a record of 6-3. He threw for 1,814 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing 64.1% of his passes.

"He's been through adversity before," said Gesicki. "He's played in the biggest games, going back to his college career. He's going to focus on what's important and the opinions that are important. The guys in the locker all believe in him and respect him."

The Dolphins made a number of moves this offseason. They used the sixth overall pick in last month's NFL draft to select Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. Miami also drafted offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg in the second round and tight end Hunter Long in the third. In addition to Waddle, Miami also signed wide receivers Will Fuller and Robert Foster.

Gesicki on outside noise about Tua. "He came in here and people were coming for him. He played 9 games and did a lot of good things for us. He's dealt great with it. He's been through adversity before."

The Dolphins are currently in their first week of organized team activities.