The team’s head coach Mike McDaniel says he is focused on the quarterback’s health, not a ’timeline.’
The Miami Dolphins witnessed a painfully familiar sight on Thursday against the Buffalo Bills—a concussion for Tua Tagovailoa.
Miami’s starting quarterback took a hit from Bills safety Damar Hamlin in the second half of the
31-10 loss at Hard Rock Stadium, and Tagovailoa didn’t return to the game. It was the
third diagnosed concussion of his 4-year-long NFL career, all occurring since 2022.
A former
No. 5 pick from Alabama, injury history has cast doubts on Tagovailoa’s long-term future as a franchise quarterback in the league. His latest concussion raises questions about how soon he will return through the league’s concussion protocol and what this means for his long-term viability.
But not for Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.
“Right now, [it] is more about getting a proper procedural evaluation and taking it one day at a time,” McDaniel
told reporters afterward.
“The furthest thing from my mind is what is the timeline. We just need to evaluate ... We'll get more information [Friday].”
Miami has a 10-day break until a Week 3 game with the Seattle Seahawks, which gives Tagovailoa time to recover. Players can clear the
league’s protocol in that amount of time, but multiple concussions are a serious concern amid growing awareness of player safety.
“I think for me, I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands ... I’m just worried about the human being,” McDaniel said.
“And he’ll drive the ship when we get the appropriate information. But it’s day-by-day health really. Try to approach all that stuff that way, particularly with concussions.”
Tagovailoa’s first concussion on Sept. 29, 2022, resulted in him being carried off on a stretcher during a Week 4 Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
He returned on Oct. 23 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and played another two months before he sustained a concussion against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 25.
Tagovailoa
considered retirement in 2022 because of the two concussions, but he continued his career, and the Dolphins gave him a four-year,
$212.4 million contract extension this year.
He made it through the 2023 season healthy and led the team to the playoffs, but his latest concussion raises the retirement question again, but McDaniel wouldn’t jump to any conclusions.
“I’m just there to support my teammate like I said. I think for me to go ahead and forecast things [from a medical standpoint] that I don’t know in my non-field of expertise, I don’t think that’s appropriate,” McDaniel said.
“I think we’ll find out some more information tomorrow in terms of where Tua’s at. He’ll be able to spend a good amount of time being evaluated, then we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate.”
Dolphins backup quarterback Skylar Thompson finished the game 8-14 passing for 80 yards. Thompson, who has
two career starts, could take the reins for the foreseeable future, but he said it “makes me sick” seeing Tagovailoa going through another concussion.
“In my position, you never want to have your opportunity come with something like that, and [I] have a lot of love for Tua,” Thompson
told reporters.
“So, just really praying for Tua, and hopefully, everything will come out all right.”
