On Wednesday, Dolphins HC Brian Flores told reporters that first-round QB Tua Tagovailoa passed his physical and won’t open training camp on the PUP list.
“He’s through his physical. When there’s practice you’ll see him out there,” Flores said, per Adam Beasley. “He’s not on PUP. There’s an acclimation period for the next two weeks. There’s strength and conditioning and walkthroughs.”
Flores stressed that Tagovailoa will need time before he’s ready to step in and play for Miami.
“People want to talk about Tua,” Flores said, per Safid Deen. “I understand it. He’s a young player and needs to take it one day at a time, and not think about the season.”
Flores did, however, make it clear that they won’t hand anyone the job.
“You always want competition [at quarterback],” Flores said, per Beasley. “Some players are further along than others. … But there are no jobs that are going to be handed out.”
Tagovailoa is, of course, working his way back from a serious hip injury and didn’t get an opportunity to take part in a normal offseason, so it makes plenty of sense for Miami to be slow with him, at least in the early part of the season to ensure he’s progressing as they would like.
Tagovailoa, 22, was a two-year starter at Alabama and earned All-American honors in 2018. The Dolphins used the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft on him.
Tagovailoa is projected to sign a four-year, $30,275,438 rookie contract that includes a $19,578,501 signing bonus. The contract includes a fifth-year for the Dolphins to pick up for the 2024 season.
During his three-year college career, Tagovailoa recorded 474 completions on 684 pass attempts (69.3 percent) for 7,442 yards, 87 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions to go along with 107 rushing attempts for 340 yards (3.2 YPC) and nine touchdowns.
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