“The hip recovery is only part of that — perhaps a small part.”
So what are the other parts?
Obviously history plays a role. And not just Tagovailoa’s personal history.
Recent NFL drafts show that quarterbacks with a history of college injuries often continue that trend into the NFL.
Sam Bradford had an injury history at Oklahoma. And he had one in the NFL.
Robert Griffin III had an injury history at Baylor. And he had one in the NFL.
Carson Wentz was injured during his time at North Dakota State and as an adolescent. And he has been injured with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Deshaun Waton had two ACL tears in a four-year span between his time at Clemson and his first year with the Houston Texans.
Marcus Mariota had an MCL injury in 2013 and sprained his A/C joint in the final game of the 2014-2015 season. And he has an extensive injury history with the Tennessee Titans.
And Tagovailoa?
Yes, there’s the hip issue. Monday was supposed to be a big day on that front in that Tagovailoa said during the NFL Combine he expected to be medically cleared on March 9 — his four-month post-surgery milestone.
And all the news, according to the NFL Network, was apparently good.
But Tagovailoa will apparently have to ease into his field work. And he won’t be ready to compete in the Alabama Pro Day this month. He hopes to have a Pro Day on April 9.
And the issue that gives pause is Tagovailoa’s hip was just one of a handful of injuries he had during his time at Alabama.
There was the broken index finger and surgery on his throwing (left) hand in March 2018.
There was the sprained knee in October of 2018, which admittedly was not serious.
There was the high ankle sprain in December 2018, which was treated via surgery.
There was the high ankle sprain in October 2019, which was treated via surgery.
And then came the hip injury in November 2019.
NFL doctors will be asked by some teams employing them if Tagovailoa is injury prone, given this history. They will be asked if his frame — 6-foot and 217 pounds — is capable of taking NFL punishment on any sort of consistent basis.
And, assuming teams do studies on Tagovailoa’s bone density and other things, doctors will be asked the million-dollar question: Is this player going to be durable in the future?
Dolphins doctors have in the past demurred about making such predictions.