NFL fans can't believe Tua Tagovailoa's new look as Dolphins QB looks swole in OTAs - "Did his a** and legs get bigger"

Tua Tagovailoa will be looking to change his narrative during the upcoming 2023 NFL season. He has built an unfortunate reputation for being an extremely talented young quarterback that just can't seem to find a way to stay healthy.

Injuries have been a major part of his career so far, including suffering multiple concussions during the 2022 NFL season, forcing him to miss extended time.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback has insisted during the 2023 NFL offseason that one of his main focuses moving forward will be learning how to better avoid injuries. One of the ways he's apparently exploring is by adding weight and muscle to his relatively small frame (for a quarterback).

When Tua Tagovialoa recently showed up to Dolphins OTAs, he appears to have accomplished his goal of bulking up a bit during his offseason workout program.

NFL fans took notice of the first Tagovailoa sighting on a football field for about five months. Many of them jumped on Reddit to comment on the added weight:

Comment by u/wave_action from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Comment by u/willpeachpiedo from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Comment by u/StilesmanleyCAP from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Comment by u/Otto_von_Grotto from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Comment by u/Whore21 from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Comment by u/Actual_Ad_409 from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Comment by u/Impersona_9 from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Comment by u/meatbulbz2 from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Comment by u/yungredosrs from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Comment by u/BigDumbApe from discussion [Wolfe] A handful of Tua Tagovailoa’s early OTA practice throws in his 1st week of full team drills since Christmas last year. in miamidolphins

Tua Tagovailoa measured in at 6'1" tall and weighed 216 pounds, according to his official listing last year for the 2022 NFL season. This is relatively small for any NFL quarterback, which comes with an additional risk of injury.

Quarterbacks often take many hits from massive defensive linemen and edge rushers, so the smaller they are, they will theoretically be more prone to injuries.

Adding body mass seems like a wise decision for Tagovailoa ahead of the 2023 NFL season. He's never appeared in more than 13 games in any season of his three-year career so far. This includes missing the end of the 2022 NFL season, including the Dolphins' game against the Buffalo Bills in the NFL Playoffs.

His health could be the key to a deeper postseason run this year.

What else is Tua Tagovailoa doing to try to avoid injury in 2023?

Tua Tagovailoa

In addition to bulking up to theoretically be more capable of taking hits, Tua Tagovailoa has reportedly been working with the team to make his health a priority.

Their offensive design is expected to be more quickfire in the passing game, potentially getting the ball out of his hands as fast as possible. This should reduce the number of hits he takes.

Tua Tagovailoa has also been tweaking his approach to slide more often and sooner than usual, while also being more willing to throw the ball away to avoid additional contact. He has also admitted that he's been working on martial arts, such as judo, in an effort to learn more about his body control and safer ways of falling or being taken down.