Will the Run Return to Tua's Game?

MIami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's offseason weight loss could help bring a new dimension to the Miami Dolphins offense

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa breaks the tackle of Arizona Cardinals linebacker Markus Golden (44) and Arizona Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy (33) during the second half at State Farm Stadium during the 2020 season. / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Tua Tagovailoa played well enough last season to lead the NFL in passing yards and help the Miami Dolphins finish first in total offense, but there was an element that was missing from his game. And that element figures to be back in 2024 now that he shed some weight over the offseason.

Tua's forte will remain throwing the ball — as head coach Mike McDaniel pointed out, "Lamar Jackson is not Tua and Tua is not Lamar Jackson" — but the ability to scramble, extend plays and pick up first downs on the ground should be back in his repertoire in 2023.

It simply wasn't there last season when Tua's mobility clearly wasn't the same as it had been in his first seasons in the NFL, the result of a bulking-up strategy to designed to be able to avoid injuries.

TUA DOES HAVE RUNNING ABILITY

Because of the added weight, Tua simply was a non-factor as a runner in 2023 with a success rate (defined by Pro Football Reference as gaining 40 percent of the yards needed on first down, 60 percent on second down, and 100 percent on third or fourth down) of only 20 percent. That was by far the lowest success rate of his career.

Let's remember that as a rookie in 2020, Tagovailoa had a success rate on his runs of 50 percent, and who can forget his second NFL start when he made some nifty moves in the open field on scrambles against the Arizona Cardinals.

It's obviously not just about scrambling. The increased mobility, which is apparent in training camp, will help Tua when it comes to pre-designed roll-outs or moving around in the pocket to avoid pass rushers.

Head coach Mike McDaniel suggested it should impact his play-calling and give him more options.

"I think you’re always adapting to the skills of your players and as you have more experience and you start to see how players are utilizing that mobility, you adjust eligibles," McDaniel said. "Maybe if there’s a primary part of the progression, you change the back side a little bit just distributing the field more than trying to beat a coverage so that if you do break from the pocket, you have an eligible to ditch it to. I’m always trying to adjust to all the players’ game so I think that component, I think with his focus definitely adds to his game which adds to what we can do as an offense."

Tua's added mobility could mean an extra few first downs for the Dolphins over the course of the season, and who knows whether that can end up making an impact on the won-loss record, though it surely can't hurt.

Tagovailoa picked up nine first downs rushing over the past two seasons combined after getting 13 in both 2020 and 2021.

So along with the new targets for the passing game — Odell Beckham Jr., Jonnu Smith — the Dolphins should have yet another way to attack defenses.

THE DANGERS OF EXPOSING TUA TO MORE HITS

Of course, this is where some might push back against the idea of Tua scrambling because of the risk of injury, particulary since we're not that far removed from his concussion issues.

But what we're talking about here are not designed runs in traffic because it would be irresponsible for the Dolphins to use Tua that way.

We're talking about Tua being able to get away from defenders with his increased mobility because while he never was a speedster he did move around well enough in his first two seasons.

The onus will remain on Tua to be smart about avoiding unnecessary risk, the same way he did throughout the 2023 season. And the truth is that it was sound decision-making in the pocket and in the face of pressure that helped Tua play a full season more so than it was the weight gain or his jiu-jitsu lessons.

Tua learned to give up on certain plays where the chances for success didn't justify the added risk and he'll need to keep that up in 2024. And he certainly should forget about trucking a defensive back in the open field the way he did against Jets defensive back Michael Carter a couple of years ago.

The bottom line is there most definitely is a way for Tagovailoa to make use of his increased mobility to help the offense without putting himself more at risk.

Really, the potential added benefits far outweigh this idea that he's now way more susceptible to injury again because he's not as thick.

“Well, I think that’ll do a lot (for my game) being more mobile, being able to run the ball a little more, being able to try to simulate that I am trying to run the ball a little more then pull up and able to catch someone off guard in a way," Tua said Sunday after signing his contract extension. "I just think being more mobile, being lighter on your feet, all of that helps with this game and everything in this game helps. That’s sort of the thought there (to lose the weight)."