Tua Tagovailoa 'Doing Miraculously Well' Recovering from Hip Injury, Physical Therapist Says

Seven months after surgery, Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa is regaining strength in preparation for the 2020 season.

Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is healing faster than expected after suffering a season-ending hip injury in November 2019, physical therapist Kevin Wilk told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. 

The former Alabama quarterback underwent a successful surgery to correct the posterior hip wall fracture and dislocation in November. Now Wilk says Tagovailoa is “a little bit ahead” in the healing process. 

Wilk has been working with Tagovailoa at the Champion Sports Medicine facility in Birmingham, Ala., according to the Sun-Sentinel. “He’s doing miraculously well,” Wilk said on Saturday. 

"The miraculous part is that he healed so well," Wilk told the Sun-Sentinel. "The second part is, he’s been so well at getting his strength back, which usually takes a long time after something like this.”

Tagovailoa, the No. 5 pick in this year's draft, is currently working three and a half hours daily to strengthen the hip and both ankles, as well as his throwing shoulder. 

Tagovailoa threw for 7,442 yards with 87 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions during his career at Alabama. The quarterback is currently in the process of moving from Alabama to Miami to begin working at the team's facility. 

The former Crimson Tide quarterback is one of 22 rookies on Miami's offseason roster and has been participating in the team's remote training program, logging on to team Zoom calls and recording videos of his workouts. 

Even though Tagovailoa is healing better than expected, he likely won’t be able to play during Week 1 of the upcoming NFL season. 

“I don’t want to make it sound like he’s far away, but it is a lot of steps from now to then for opening day or Game 1,” Wilk said, according to the Sun-Sentinel. “But so far, so good.”

The Dolphins finished 5–11 last season.