Tua Tagovailoa, visibly thinner, appears at a promotional event

His head coach called him “slender.” He looks completely thin.

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reportedly lost 10 to 15 pounds this offseason. Maybe that’s true – on one of his legs.

Via Jenna Lemoncelli New York Post OfficeTagovailoa attended an event on Friday looking noticeably thinner.

Click on the link and browse the photos. Yes, the length of his hair and lack of hair on his face make him look different. But he looks very, very thin.

Some on social media wondered if it was really him.

He is officially listed as six-one and 227 pounds. These photos don’t suggest 227 pounds. He may be flirting with the possibility of weighing less than 200 pounds.

There is a very real balance to be struck when it comes to quarterback size. Natural armor protects the player against the types of hits they will receive from much larger defensive players. And while lack of size contributes to speed and evasion, no player can evade every possible hit. And when these blows happen, the extra weight protects parts of the body that could get hurt.

Football is Newtonian physics gone wrong. Bodies flying and colliding and reacting to the forces applied to them. Remember the Week 4 game in 2022? Tua was knocked to the ground by a Bengals defender with enough force that his head was thrown back and hit the grass, resulting in a concussion that caused Tua to be carried off the field on a stretcher and transported directly to a local hospital. .

Last year, when he was bigger than the year before, he played in 17 regular season games and one playoff game. This year, there will be an increased risk given its reduced mass.

The risk goes beyond the field. Will the Dolphins feel comfortable giving him the type of contract he is looking for? He may have to put some of that armor back on his body before training camp opens to make owner Stephen Ross feel comfortable giving the green light to a long-term deal that approaches market level.