When Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned from a concussion in Week 7 of the 2022 season, one of his first plays was a scramble from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 11-yard line.

He dropped his shoulder and charged at linebacker Devin Bush, turning a risky move into a five-yard gain. Although the play only led to a field goal, it symbolized his competitive nature and raised concerns about his long-term sustainability.

Now, almost two years later, that version of Tagovailoa — who once drove through Jets defense Michael Carter in 2021 — should be a thing of the past, or at least could be, after his latest concussion, the result of the collision that he had caused with Buffalo. Bills safety Damar Hamlin at Hard Rock Stadium on the night of September 12.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa apologized after coming to the sideline after running into Bush on Sunday night in October 2022, but said he “needed that.”

Two years and two concussions later, things have changed.

“I think at this point he better understands his responsibility to the entire organization,” McDaniel said. ‘My answer would be: ‘You don’t need that’ this time.”

After a 2023 season in which Tagovailoa stayed healthy by sliding instead of taking on defenders, the Dolphins are hoping he starts making smarter decisions again, starting with his scheduled return Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at Hard Rock Stadium. Protecting his body is paramount if Miami is to turn around a 2-4 winning season.

McDaniel’s message is clear: the Dolphins need their quarterback to be healthy and not recover from unnecessary hits.

“He’s just in a different place as a leader of this team and feels a huge responsibility to do everything he can to be on the field, so part of that is protecting yourself,” McDaniel said. “I have to make sure he’s well protected, but at the same time, I can’t control everything and he has to be able to protect himself — regardless of the first-down conversion he’s trying to get — so he can do that. When he is on the field with his team, he has to be smart in the way he maintains contact.”

For Tagovailoa, the shift from his physical, aggressive playing style is part of a broader commitment to staying healthy and leading the Dolphins long-term. Although his instincts still drive him to fight for extra yards, he claims to have learned the importance of self-preservation.

“I just have to be smart,” he said. “All my time playing football I’ve been a competitor and that’s kind of my advantage if I walked away from high school, even in college I would do the same thing. he said. ‘You just can’t do that. So we certainly have to remain more available for the team, for the organization, for our boys.”

Tagovailoa’s teammates have noticed the changes in his approach, too.

We love him. From brother to brother, we love him. Like, he’s a big part of this team.

– Miami Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill

“We all joke and laugh, but on a serious note he knows he has to protect himself better,” running back Raheem Mostert said. “Only he can control those things, and he understands that going forward.”

Tagovailoa managed to stay healthy and play every game in 2023, and a big reason for that was his ability to avoid unnecessary hits.

Instead of charging into defenders, he threw the ball away when a play broke down or slid on contact, a tactic that helped him avoid the injuries that have sidetracked his career in the past.

First, wide receiver Tyreek Hill has no problem with a lot of slides coming from Tua.

“Damn right, tell his (expletive) all the time,” Hill said. “When we played the Colts, you saw the fans start clapping for Anthony Richardson when he slid. I told our fans to clap for Tua, let him slide. We need you, buddy, for the next game. ” (laughter) Come on, (expletive). That (expletive) is real, it’s real. We love him. From brother to brother, we love him. Like, he’s a big part of this team.”