The Miami Dolphins lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Week 2 after the signal caller suffered his third official concussion. Tagovailoa had been attempting to pick up a first down in the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills and ran head-first into Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
Tagovailoa was clearly hurt and began to make the same “fencing posture” he did in 2022 when he took a big shot to the head against the Cincinnati Bengals. After another concussion that was reminiscent of the incident in 2022, many called on Tagovailoa to retire from the NFL.
Despite the pleas for his personal safety, Tagovailoa revealed he had no intentions of retiring. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel also revealed that Tagovailoa would consult with outside neurologists to determine his playing future.
McDaniel reiterated that Tagovailoa would approach the recovery in the same way that he did in 2022. Tagovailoa met with outside neurologists during Week 3 and has now received a massive update on his playing future.
According to Dolphins beat reporter Adam Beasley by way of NFL insider Adam Schefter, “Adam Schefter reports Tua Tagovailoa is “symptom-free” and appears to be on track to return to the field as soon as Week 8.”
The Dolphins initially did not place Tagovailoa on injured reserve but eventually chose to do so to give the quarterback time to consult with outside doctors. Due to his IR status, Tagovailoa is not eligible to return until Week 8. Now, it appears that is exactly what he plans to do.
The above X post indicates that Tagovailoa is “symptom free” and will be back under center when the Dolphins take on the Arizona Cardinals. This news should make Dolphins fans plenty happy, as the offense has sputtered since Tagovailoa went down.
Backup quarterback Skylar Thompson took over in Week 2 when Tagovailoa took over. He did little to help the team come back against the Bills. During Week 3, the Dolphins opted to give Thompson a full start. The offensive line did not hold up, resulting in Thompson suffering a chest injury.
The Dolphins were then forced to use longtime veteran Tim Boyle. Boyle also could not rally the team, and Miami dropped to 1-2 on the season after beating handily beaten by the Seattle Seahawks.
The Dolphins had signed Tyler “Snoop” Huntley from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, but he was given the “emergency third quarterback” designation for Week 3.
The Dolphins chose to start Huntley against the Titans, but another loss might paint a bleak picture for the offensive attack until Tagovailoa can return.
