Tua Tagovailoa looks ready to play football and make his return for the Miami Dolphins in their game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8.
Some of his teammates are ready to give him some much-needed advice.
Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle spoke to reporters this week. When it was mentioned that Raheem Mostert and Tyreek Hill had a message for their quarterback, Waddle smiled and concurred with their comments.
The message: Tua should slide more often.
"Slide as far as run fast or slide like slide-slide?" said Waddle.
Jaylen Waddle may have been joking, but his message to Tua Tagovailoa is correct
The Dolphins players may be laughing about it right now, but they are also 100% serious, and Tua should be heeding their warnings. Had he slid instead of trying to drive through Damar Hamlin in Week 2, the Dolphins' current season would likely look a lot different than it does. In fact, the Buffalo Bills game may have been their only loss.
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Tagovailoa indeed needs to slide, and he did say at his press conference meeting on Monday that he has to play smarter. That means he can't afford to take risks that could put the team in another dire situation at the position. If the Dolphins desperately need a first down, the game probably isn't going Miami's way in the first place. He has to remember that there are other ways to get a first down, like throwing the ball to Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle.
It will be interesting to see how Tua uses Jonnu Smith, who has been playing well in the last couple of games. With Hill and Waddle covered, Tua should rely heavily on this big tight end target. When that target is covered, too, he needs to slide.
Tua practiced for the first time on Wednesday and is expected to start on Sunday against the Cardinals.