Tua Tagovailoa, John Metchie reunite at joint practice
When Tua Tagovailoa was in his final season at Alabama, John Metchie was a hopeful freshman, waiting to see what he could accomplish with the Crimson Tide.
Now, the two are in the NFL, with lots more games in front of them. At least, the two players pray they have years left in the league. Tagovailoa is the starting quarterback for the Dolphins and Metchie is working his way up the receiver depth chart with the Texans. Serious medical issues have limited their play the past year.
The Dolphins and the Texans are conducting joint practices in Houston this week ahead of their preseason game. So Wednesday was the first time for Tua Tagovailoa and John Metchie to give each other a hug and do a quick catch up.
The Texans social media team captured it all and shared a snippet on Twitter. The caption “Bama reunion in H-Town.”
Did you know that Metchie caught his first pass as Texan last week in Houston’s preseason opener against the Patriots? It was a simple five-yarder to convert a first down. And it represented his first catch since the SEC title game in December, 2021.
“It felt great,” Metchie told reporters after the game in Foxborough, Mass. “It was a long time coming of course, but it was surreal and a great feeling to be out there with the team, to be out there with the guys and to be back playing football.”
In past week, John Metchie caught up with 2 Bama quarterbacks — Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones
Coincidentally, Metchie also did a quick catchup after the game with former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who now is with the Patriots. In fact, it all turned into a mass reunion since there were so many former Tide stars on both teams, including Texans coach DeMeco Ryans.
Although Metchie needed ACL surgery after the SEC title game, the Texans selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft. Then as training camp was starting, doctors diagnosed Metchie with leukemia, This particular kind of adult onset leukemia was a very treatable. Doctors cleared him to participate in OTAs and mini camp this past spring. Now, he’s out there wanting more on-field action.
Meanwhile, Tagovailoa dealt with concussion issues throughout last season. He missed four games, plus the Dolphins wild card date at Buffalo. This past off season, Tagovailoa learned how to fall to soften the force if he hits his head. He also added weight so he can better withstand the hits from hard-charging defensive ends. As a precaution, Tua didn’t play in his team’s preseason opener.
So Wednesday proved to be the perfect day for Tua Tagovailoa and John Metchie, his one-time teammate, to meet up on the field. And all they needed to talk about was football.