Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s latest concussion in September left his future all the more uncertain, but head coach Mike McDaniel recently shed some light on if and when Tagovailoa will play again.
“I do expect to see him playing football in 2024,” McDaniel told reporters on Monday. “But where that is, exactly—we'll let the process continue since we still have time before he can even entertain anything. We’ll make sure that he’s diligent this week and assess after that.”
Tagovailoa has suffered three concussions since 2022, including one where he was taken off the field on a stretcher. He sat out the rest of the 2022 season after this second concussion, and the Dolphins placed him on injured reserve this time around.
Miami (2–3) has been in a tailspin since Tagovailoa’s concussion, with three-straight defeats and a narrow 15–10 win over the 1–5 New England Patriots in Week 5. The Dolphins won’t have Tagovailoa back for a Week 7 game against the Indianapolis Colts (3–3).
It appears Tyler Huntley will be the Dolphins’ starting quarterback at the moment, as fellow backup Skylar Thompson remains sidelined with a rib injury.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned, for me as a head coach, it’s absolutely imperative for me to control the controllables,” McDaniel said. “It was so fast from him getting hurt to immediately going into, ‘alright, what’s the best thing for you, Tua?’
“I didn’t really allow myself any sort of contemplation moments on whether he would or wouldn’t. I was so concerned with where he was at in his career, for his family.”
Former players and members of the media have gone on record urging Tagovailoa to retire. Head injuries impacting long-term health have been a major issue surrounding the game for years.
Tagovailoa considered retirement after the 2022 season, but he doubled down on his commitment to football and got a four-year, $214.4 million contract extension after a strong 2023 season. He hasn’t personally announced his plans after September’s concussion.
“It is exciting that I do believe he'll play football this year. I never went down that rabbit hole of whether he would or wouldn’t because I’ve learned through circumstance that’s the wrong question to be asking,” McDaniel said. “The right questions are completely, 100 percent toward the human being and the player, as a result.”
Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle said he and Tagovailoa “talk every day” and that the former Alabama star is at the Dolphins practice facility regularly. Tagovailoa has been a member of the Dolphins since the team took him with the No. 5 pick in 2020.
“He’s always around and, yeah, we’re normally just talking ball, going through practice, things like that,” Waddle told reporters on Monday.
McDaniel said things have “continued to be positive” for Tagovailoa but noted that “there is still information” that the quarterback is “seeking this week.” While Tagovailoa could be headed back to the field after going on injured reserve, McDaniel didn’t have anything definitive on other Dolphins players on the list.
“There’s a couple of potentials but nothing that I would be able to firmly dig my heels into just because these days are vitally important,” McDaniel said. “As you get closer and closer, there’s a couple of guys that theoretically, I think the window could open, but it’s a little too early.”
The same goes for linebacker Bradley Chubb, who has been on the physically unable-to-perform list due to a knee injury. Chubb was a force on defense last season amid 45 tackles, 11 sacks, and six forced fumbles.
“The way he’s attacked and the way he’s really come back from a pretty serious injury, I’m optimistic ... because we haven’t had any setbacks or anything,” McDaniel said. “I’m optimistic ... but I can promise you that whenever he is back, he couldn’t have been back any sooner.”
