Assistant Coaches Talk Tua Return

"Hope" and "belief" were two sentiments thrown out by Miami Dolphins assistants in the wake of Tua Tagovailoa returning to the lineup.

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel talks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Miami Dolphins Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach Jon Embree couldn't resist cracking a joke Thursday morning when he was asked how the vibe around the team had changed this week with Tua Tagovailoa's return.

"He's coming back?"

As Embree knew, Tua is indeed returning to the Dolphins lineup and will start against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, barring unforeseen developments between now and the 1:00 PM EDT kickoff.

And the vibe around the team most definitely is different.

During the weekly Thursday morning media session, which always features the three coordinators plus two selected position coaches, words like "belief," "spark," and "hope" were thrown around when the topic was Tagovailoa's return after his IR stint because of his latest concussion.

"I think anytime you get your leader back it lifts everybody's spirits up and it's a lot of juice at practice, guys getting in out of the huddle," Embree said. "There's a lot of little things that you may not see that all of a sudden it's clicking. And then honestly, when you get a player of his caliber back, the belief and your whole mindset, a lot of stuff changes."

THE VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BALL

The good vibes extend everywhere in the locker room, not just the offense.

"Yeah, any time you're starting quarterback that threw for 10,000 yards the year before, that's going to provide a spark for everybody," defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver joked. "Not just the defense, the offense, everybody in the building. He's a heck of a player, a phenomenal person. And when you're in situations like this, you want hope. And I think he provides that. So we just gotta go out there and continue our job. We're not trying to put any pressure on him. We just know who he is and the talent he brings. We just know who he is and the talent he brings."

Of course, Weaver exaggerated a tad about Tua's yardage. However, he did lead the NFL in passing yards last season after he led the league in passer rating in 2022.

So, his return is good for the team and the coaches to be excited.

"I just think that when you have a guy that has been such a leader for us and such a big part of our offense it's obviously it's great to have one of our captains and our leaders back in the mix and we're excited for Sunday," Embree said. "And so it's been great. I'm happy for him just that he's in a spot that he's comfortable doing whatever it is that he wants to do. That's all I cared about from the beginning. And when he addresses the team, you can hear it in his voice, the excitement and the, I don't want to say anxious, but just so ready to get out there and go play."

TUA RARIN' TO GO

Offensive coordinator Frank Smith talked about how eager Tagovailoa has been in the weeks leading up to his return.

Smith shared a story of being in his office at 5:00 AM in the lead-up to the game at New England in Week 5, only to turn around and spot Tua right there with a coffee in hand.

"He's just an infectious personality," Smith said. "He's always positive. And just like that, like he had more time. So he was up in my office more, just hanging out. It's been engaging and he's just awesome he's just a really fun guy to be around to be able to work with."

Of course, it's in the field where Tua's most significant impact will come from.

Smith, for one, isn't overly concerned that Tua needs time to get back into a groove.

"I don't know if there's a rust factor," Smith said. " It's like when he's going through his process to return, he's working out and doing everything he needs to do to be ready. So I think right now with him it's just getting into the game plan, getting ready to go and seeing the defense. And he's just, he's Tua. So I know he'll be ready to go when the game starts on Sunday."