Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t thrown a pick in training camp. Here’s why
Tua Tagovailoa needed to change his approach to practice.
The switch happened a few years ago. It wasn’t anything physical — unlike the discourse surrounding his body type — but more rooted in an attempt to switch his focus.
“I think the biggest difference is how I would rate my practices off of the result,” the franchise quarterback said Wednesday, explaining that early in his career, he gauged himself by how many completions, touchdowns or picks he would throw instead of actually setting goals.
Added Tagovailoa: “I figured out maybe within the past two or three years, having a process, having things to work on for yourself while staying on top of your other things. It helped me.”
The results of the change have manifested itself during the past week. Tagovailoa has yet to throw an interception in training camp, an impressive streak that has extended into seven days. Whether in 1-on-1s or 7-on-7 or even scrimmages, Tagovailoa has remained mistake-free.
“His intensity each and every day has been very consistent which players are responding to,” coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday. “Because of that, I think the ownership and conviction of how he’s playing the position is probably responsible for not having any interceptions.”
As Tagovailoa mentioned, that by no means is intentional. No one, of course, wants to throw picks. That said, it is training camp — if there were ever a time to throw an interception or two, it would be now. New plays get installed each and every day; mistakes will happen.
Tagovailoa, however, wasn’t necessarily focused on the results.
“I’m not thinking too much about if I throw an interception or if I don’t throw an interception,” Tagovailoa said. “In camp, you just want to see how consistent you can be with the plays that you’re given.”
Despite a somewhat successful Wednesday practice that included a handful of big plays to one of his favorite targets in Jaylen Waddle, Tagovailoa still wasn’t satisfied.
“I have about two or three things max that I have for myself that I’m focusing on for each practice that I go out there,” Tagovailoa said. “I can tell you: two of the three things I did not do really well today.”
And while Tagovailoa wouldn’t share those specific areas of focus, it’s clear that his newfound approach is extremely detail-oriented.
“Sometimes the practice may look good,” Tagovailoa said. “Everybody’s like ‘Yeah you did this and did that’ but nobody really knows. Only I know truly what that practice was like for myself. Whether it was good or indifferent. And it could’ve looked bad but I felt good about it.”
As training camp continues, Tagovailoa’s perfection — from a pick standpoint — cannot be overlooked. Now in Year 6, the bar must be raised. While Tagovailoa wouldn’t necessarily fit the description of “turnover prone,” he does have 12 games with at least two interceptions, including a pair of three-pick games in 2024. That can no longer happen.
Tagovailoa knows that. Even more accurate, the 27-year-old knows just how important he is to this franchise and what he can do when healthy. The results speak for themselves: since 2022, Tagovailoa has led the league in passer rating, passing yards and completion percentage.
If his early training camp performance is any indication, expect Tagovailoa to lead the league in another statistical category barring any unforeseen injuries.
“He’s not being passive; he’s being aggressive,” McDaniel said. “But I think the culmination of deliberate practice over the hours and hours and hours of work, his ownership of the game and his position within the offense I think is evident every time we step out on the field.”
This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 1:42 PM.
