I hope Tua gets back in a timely fashion.

This isn’t necessarily a football column, and it’s definitely not a concussion column. I’ll write that one later.

Spoiler alert: I fully support Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returning to the field after, of course, getting medical clearance from his latest concussion.

Anyway, this is a little bit of a personal column.

I kinda miss seeing Tua in the locker room.

I’ve just been getting to know Tua recently, as we all have as a media contingent.

I mean, we know him, of course.

But recently we’ve gotten to know him on a different level.

Tua has been more willing to casually chat with us in the locker room.

This started late last season.

It’s been cool getting to know him in the same fashion that I know many other Dolphins players.

Unique. Insightful. Funny. Guys in their 20s, living their best life.

That’s how Tua’s been when he chats with us.

That’s how most players are when they casually chat with us.

Due to COVID, locker rooms were closed to the media during Tua’s first two years in the NFL.

In 2022, when locker rooms re-opened, Tua was fairly standoff-ish with the media.

He had a vibe toward us that wasn’t inviting.

That’s changed 180 degrees since late last season.

I’m not sure why.

But he’s been incredibly cool toward us.

His demeanor has been inviting.

I don’t bother him too much.

I always greet him when I see him in the locker room, as I do to about 15 other players on a daily basis.

With Tua, I’ll usually greet him when he’s sitting at his locker.

I’ll smile, dap him up and say, “What’s up, Tua?”

He always responds with a smile and, “What’s up, brotha?”

And he always punches the “tha” on brotha.

It’s kind of his thing.

Every now and then I might make a comment to see if he wants to chat.

“Who does ’Bama have this week?”

If Tua’s receptive, three or four other writers will filter into the conversation and we’ll chat him up for a few minutes and have a few laughs.

We’ve talked about a wide variety of topics.

All off the record.

All with a lot of laughs.

For me, this isn’t unusual. I chat up, or check in, with a large number of players on a fairly regular basis in the locker room.

Offensive tackle Kendall Lamm is a huge NBA fan and a good vet to check in with about all kinds of topics. Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. plans to spend the bye week with his 5-year-old child. Kicker Jason Sanders is chill, kinda California cool. I usually check in with long snapper Blake Ferguson. I chat up guard Liam Eichenberg. Offensive tackle Austin Jackson. Defensive lineman Zach Sieler. Offensive tackle Terron Armstead. Linebacker David Long Jr. Rookie edge rusher Mo Kamara.

I could keep going.

Running back Raheem Mostert is cool. So is wide receiver River Cracraft. Tyreek Hill is Tyreek. He’s cool to talk to, always entertaining. I check in with Jaylen Waddle. And offensive tackle Kion Smith (even though he’s on injured reserve and officially off limits, I’ll say what’s up when I see him in the locker room). Guard Lester Cotton has a good sense of humor, as do most offensive linemen. I chat up guard Robert Jones. Wide receiver Braxton Berrios is always insightful. Defensive lineman Calais Campbell has unique veteran wisdom and knowledge. I dap up cornerback Kader Kohou on a regular basis.

Again, I could keep going.

As I’ve said numerous times, this is one of my favorite locker rooms in almost 30 years in pro locker rooms.

In this respect, to me, no single Dolphins player is more important than another.

And that’s also true for Tua.

For casual chat purposes, Tua is no more important to me than, say, safety Elijah Campbell.

But it’s been good getting to know Tua, and seeing what everybody likes about him so much.

The smile.

The confidence.

The sense of humor.

The sense of control.

He’s definitely a leader.

But the way he commands a crowd is different. It’s unique. It’s Tua.

I’ve been around lots of charismatic leaders on a daily basis such as current or future Hall of Famers Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning.

I’ve had casual conversations with all of them.

They’re all more outwardly intense than Tua.

From what I’ve seen, Tua leads in a different way, a more chill, Hawaiian way.

Tua is intense and emotional.

Don’t get it twisted.

It’s just that he doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve, so to speak, the way others do.

It’s also important to note that I separate my personal feelings about a player from how I view a player’s performance.

I like Tua.

But he’s not getting the job done against good teams.

In his past eight games against playoff teams he’s 1-7, and has eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

He’s also 1-7 against Buffalo in his career.

This isn’t the time to re-visit those numbers, however.

This, as I said, is a bit personal.

I saw Tua briefly in the locker room about a week ago.

He was talking to quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley.

And, of course, he was smiling and laughing.

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