It’s been a tough road for Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and yet another major concussion is only making things harder. When should fans expect to see Tagovailoa back on the field again?
What Is Tua Tagovailoa’s Injury?
Tagovailoa was injured late in Miami’s second game of the season, sustaining a scary-looking concussion. Since then, he’s gone on the injured reserve, requiring him to sit out for at least four games.
Miami head coach Mike McDaniel said that Tagovailoa’s progress was positive as he traveled the country meeting head injury specialists. While he’s had concussions in the past, he didn’t pick up another one in 2023, leading to hope that he could potentially safely play a lengthy career.
How Long Will Tagovailoa Be Sidelined?
Tagovailoa has already missed the four mandatory games necessitated by his IR stint. The Dolphins went 1-3 in those contests but are still on the fringes of the AFC Wild Card race.
Fortunately, Tua is expected to return soon. On Oct. 21, McDaniel announced that Miami was designating Tagovailoa for return from injured reserve.
The Tua Tagovailoa news we’ve all been waiting for pic.twitter.com/I9VnsYaEHl
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 21, 2024
While Tua will return to practice this week, he’ll still need to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol before suiting up against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
“Our plan is to start him practicing on Wednesday,” McDaniel said. “The clearing doesn’t come until after some of the activity. We’re obviously doing so in the hope of everything going well so that he can play Sunday, but that will be to be determined.”
Tagovailoa also addressed reporters on Monday.
“Got to be smart,” he said of potentially scrambling less often moving forward. “My entire time playing football, that was sort of my edge, when I would run. It’s a professional setting, the best of the best. You just can’t be doing that.”
While McDaniel cautioned that Tua shouldn’t be considered a “savior” for Miami’s offensive struggles, the Dolphins have nowhere to go but up. No team was less efficient on offense from Weeks 3 through 7 than Miami (-0.26 EPA per play).
Fantasy Outlook for the Dolphins’ Quarterbacks
Put bluntly, if Tagovailoa is not the quarterback, there is absolutely no fantasy football value at the position. He’s still the team’s passing yardage leader by quite some distance and is the only player to throw a touchdown for the 2024 Dolphins, something he hasn’t done since the first quarter of Week 2.
In fact, Miami’s offense has scored just two touchdowns since Tagovailoa’s concussion. There’s no reason to start or even roster almost anyone on the Dolphins with Tagovailoa out, with standouts like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle worth hanging onto, just in case.
If Tagovailoa comes back, he could be worth a start, but it’s possibly worth waiting a week or two. He may not be perfectly comfortable, and it’s worth wondering how much he can do to salvage such an anemic unit.
This iteration of the Dolphins offense might not be the same as those in years past. Miami has averaged just 10 points a game without Tagovailoa, and it’s not clear that he’s the kind of player who can single-handedly elevate a unit from that type of production to what a fantasy manager would want to see.