Injury-induced quarterback shuffling has defined the Dolphins’ season thus far, with Teddy Bridgewater replacing Skylar Thompson against the Vikings. But the team hopes that chapter is over.
The Dolphins are planning to reinstall Tua Tagovailoa as their starter in Week 7, Mike McDaniel said Monday. Tagovailoa will practice as Miami’s starter this week. The third-year passer has missed two full games and parts of two more this season.
Tagovailoa cleared concussion protocol — one his early-season injury saga helped reshape — Saturday morning, but the Dolphins held him out of their Week 6 loss to the Vikings. Miami has seen each of its three quarterbacks leave games with injuries this season, and while Tagovailoa’s situation proved far more severe than Bridgewater’s or Thompson’s, the team will greenlight his return.
Tua returning from what the team called a back injury in Week 3 set off a firestorm of concussion-related drama, with many believing the Alabama product sustained a head injury and was nevertheless sent onto the field soon after. The Dolphins consistently denied this, but the sequence produced an NFLPA investigation and led to changes to the league’s concussion protocol. A more stringent setup now exists regarding head injuries, and Tagovailoa — who was carted off the field in Cincinnati after a concussion — will play under the new guidelines.
As Tagovailoa recovered from the scary Week 4 injury, the Dolphins and Tua’s team of independent doctors “followed a thorough process that far exceeded the NFL’s concussion protocol,” leading to unanimous clearance, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. This brought more health-related trouble for the former No. 5 overall pick, who saw a severe hip injury during his junior season at Alabama alter his draft status. The Dolphins still took him with their top 2019 choice, though injuries have followed. None were like this, though, and the NFL is operating differently as a result.
His return will undoubtedly be a major talking point as Week 7 approaches. The Dolphins being set for a nationally televised matchup against the Steelers will compound that. From a football standpoint, however, this is obviously big news for the team. Miami is 3-0 in games Tagovailoa finishes and 0-3 with another signal-caller doing so. Albeit on a limited sample size compared to most starting quarterbacks this season, Tua’s 80.0 QBR number still leads the league.
Jesus. I’d be looking for a long rest period in his place. They’re determined to have him die on the field, aren’t they?
How funny to say that Miami stands no chance without Tua – as a month ago everybody was ripping on him.