Nothing but good news on the Tua Tagovailoa front for the Miami Dolphins Thursday.
The Dolphins ramped up Tagovailoa’s participation in his second day back in six weeks. Barring setbacks, he is on track to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. Tagovailoa participated fully Thursday, according to the Dolphins’ Thursday injury report.
What Happened to Tua Tagovailoa?
Tagovailoa suffered his fourth diagnosed concussion on Sept. 12 when colliding with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin in a Week 2 game.
Due to Tua’s long history of head injuries, the Dolphins placed Tagovailoa on injured reserve — even though he told reporters this week that he’s been symptom-free since Sept. 13.
“It’s pretty simple when the medical experts are advising you to do one thing,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said when asked why Miami put Tua on IR. “The whole issue was that it needed time to rest for that injury.”
That time, thankfully for the Dolphins, appears to be up.
When Will Tagovailoa Return From His Injury?
The Dolphins’ 2024 season should get a lifeline Sunday when Tagovailoa is expected to play for the first time since the Bills’ loss.
While he has long been symptom-free, Tua still hadn’t yet passed the concussion protocol as of Wednesday. It was believed he was in Phase 4 of 5 — Club-Based Non-Contact Training Drills.
In the zone 🔒 pic.twitter.com/bBuucsdx3v
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 23, 2024
For a quarterback, there’s no functional difference during practice between that and what Tua did on Wednesday. Quarterbacks are never subject to contact.
But he still needs clearance from both a club physician and the independent neurological consultant for full-contact activity in order to play Sunday. Based on how long he’s been without symptoms, that seems to be a formality.
As for the impact Tagovailoa’s return will have on a Dolphins offense that ranks last in points per game (11.7)?
“It’s not necessarily all on him,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith said Thursday. “It’s all of us together to take in the gameplan for the attack and making sure we’re all connected on where we expect guys to be and how we see the defense and the timing at which we’ll operate and then connecting ourselves together.
“So I don’t think it’s necessarily just him, it’s now all of us because each gameplan is different for the defense. I think that’ll be the whole part of the offense, just getting the communication that is necessary for us to work together to accomplish something.”
Miami Dolphins’ QB Depth Chart
If for some reason Tagovailoa cannot play Sunday, the Dolphins would have a real problem on their hands. Their backup quarterback situation has been — and continues to be — a mess.
Tyler Huntley has started the last three games but will not play due to a shoulder injury.
That leaves three options for QB2 (in the best-case scenario) or QB1 (in the worst):
Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle, and recently added C.J. Beathard, who spent several seasons with McDaniel in San Francisco.
Thompson and Boyle seem the most likely due to their familiarity with McDaniel’s intricate offense.