Tua Tagovailoa may be back in action soon. Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told the team the quarterback is expected to participate Wednesday when his practice window opens following a stint on injured reserve due to a concussion, according to a team source. The hope is for Tagovailoa to play in Miami’s game against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 27 if there are no setbacks next week.
The 26-year-old suffered the concussion — his third in two years — during the Dolphins’ Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills. On a scramble in the red zone, Tagovailoa collided with Bills safety Damar Hamlin and fell to the ground. Teammates immediately attended to him and the team’s medical staff hurried onto the field.
Tagovailoa missed extensive time with head injuries in 2022 with two separate incidents (in Week 4 and Week 16) sidelining him for four regular season games and Miami’s playoff loss to the Bills. After that season, he told reporters he considered retiring.
When asked about Tagovailoa’s future after the most recent concussion, McDaniel said bringing up the subject “is not in the best interest of him.”
“I’m going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care, that should be the last thing on your mind,” the coach said. “It’s probably only fair that their career should be decided by them.”
On Oct. 7, McDaniel said there was “nothing negative so far” in Tagovailoa’s recovery process, and a team source told The Athletic that the QB would play now if he could.
Before sustaining the injury, Tagovailoa threw for 483 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions over two games. He led the league in passing last season with 4,624 yards.
Without their franchise QB, the Dolphins have struggled to find an offensive spark. They’re averaging a league-worst 12.0 points per game and carry a 2-3 record into Week 7.
(Photo: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)
