Tua Tagovailoa is not planning to reconsider retirement, but the Dolphins are planning to give their starting quarterback plenty of time to recover from the latest concussion he sustained.
Miami is placing Tagovailoa on IR, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report. With Miami’s bye occurring during this window, the earliest the fifth-year QB can return will be Week 8. This is not especially surprising, but it does represent a change from how the Dolphins handled their quarterback during his concussion-marred 2022 season.
[RELATED: Tagovailoa To Visit Neurologists, Not Planning To Retire]
The Dolphins did not use IR during Tagovailoa’s concerning ’22 slate, which featured two confirmed concussions and most likely three head injuries. Tua rehabbed on Miami’s active roster that year, though the team did shut him down after his Week 16 injury. The player who spent most of the time replacing Tagovailoa at QB that season — former seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson — is now in position to start for the Dolphins. The team, though, did bring in Tyler Huntley this week.
This plan certainly changes the equation for the Dolphins, who had seen Tagovailoa submit a quality 2023 season — a 17-game campaign devoid of concussion recurrences — and earn a four-year, $212.4MM extension this offseason. Tagovailoa received $93.2MM guaranteed at signing and is protected in the event he is not cleared from his latest head injury. Tua will need to return to action, however, if cleared in order to collect the bulk of the money from his lucrative extension.
A collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin brought instant concerns from Dolphins and Bills players, and Miami confirmed its fifth-year starter sustained a concussion soon after. This sequence came just less than two years after the handling of a potential Tua concussion — one the team did not end up confirming, leading to an immediate return in a Week 3 win over the Bills — changed the NFL’s protocol. Players regularly return from concussions soon after the injuries, even with the enhanced protocols, but the Dolphins have their passer’s past and future to consider. This is a significant step, as it will undoubtedly have a major impact on the team’s 2024 season.
Tagovailoa has not been on IR since 2021, when a rib injury led him out of the mix. He did miss five regular-season games and the team’s wild-card tilt in 2022. (Tua also suffered a concussion at Alabama.) In addition to the initial review of the Dolphins’ handling of Tua’s injury against the Bills in September 2022, the team was the subject of another probe due to leaving Tagovailoa in a Packers matchup in which he sustained another concussion. Tua did not report symptoms until the following day, and the second investigation soon cleared the Dolphins. But they are back in familiar territory nearly two years later.
Thompson, 27, saw action in 2022 due to Teddy Bridgewater suffering multiple injuries — including a concussion — as well. He completed just 57.1% of his regular-season passes — at a mere 5.1 yards per attempt — but gave the favored Bills a scare in the wild-card round. Thompson beat out 2023 Tua backup Mike White this summer and will be given the first chance to lead an explosive Dolphins offense.
Huntley has far more experience, starting nine games in place of Lamar Jackson from 2021-23. Huntley, however, did not draw extensive free agency interest. The Browns ended up cutting the four-year Ravens backup, who made his way back to Baltimore — on a practice squad deal — before the season. Because the Dolphins signed Huntley off the Ravens’ P-squad, he must remain on Miami’s active roster for at least three weeks. This could set up a QB competition, but for now, it will be Thompson at the controls.
Big picture-wise, the Dolphins’ immediate QB plans are not especially important. The team has Tagovailoa signed through 2028, and his recovery will be monitored closely. The left-hander’s eventual reinsertion into Miami’s starting lineup will prompt natural outside concerns about his future, and Tua did consider retirement following that 2022 season. But he secured a big-ticket extension after staying healthy in 2023. The Dolphins are planning to have their starter back at some point, and it will be interesting to see when he is cleared from this latest concerning injury.
trade for D Jones. …. Please 🙂
Never happen. They should make phone calls for Sam Howell or Kenny Pickett though
Why overpay for two QBs at the same time? That move would cripple the Fins’ cap for several years.
Poor jelly brains
TBIs aren’t really a laughing matter
Except when he’s defiantly not retiring. It was hard to watch live, now it’s hard to sympathize.
Almost as hard as watching you try to spell “definitely” instead of defiantly.
Defiantly: in a manner that shows open resistance or bold disobedience.
I was saying defiantly. Don’t get your point
If the Dolphins would have treated that first concussion correctly he might not be in as bad as he is. They are complicit as is Tua on his concussions. Hopefully he is ok and is watched closely before he is cleared. Not really a fan of Tua but a fan of football and don’t like anyone getting hurt.
Miami only hope at quarterback as long as they exist is Dan Marino
I hope he’s ok long term but my issue now is do I keep him in my CBS fantasy league or drop him? 2QB league with my other options D Watson and Herbert (who is questionable for Sundays Steelers game). If Herbert can’t go I’ll have to drop Tua. I got Tua pretty late in 2023 draft and he helped me win the title.
Drop Tua if you have to, unless you can put him on IR.
Chris Grier should be fired for malpractice as a GM. Not only did give away all leverage in contract negotiations with Tua (Tua infamously saying “the market is the market”) but just five days into the season they lose their starting QB until week 8. Nearly half the season. And instead of Grier making damn sure they had a high quality QB2 waiting behind their injury prone starter they have… Skylar Thompson. And don’t get me started on how he did absolutely nothing via the draft or FA to make up for the losses of Hunt and Wilkins. Grier is the reason that Dolphins fans can’t have nice things.
Huntley is a better option than Thompson, but not this week, as he’ll barely have time to take the shrink wrap off the play book.
If Tua has no intention to stop playing football, then he REALLY needs to consider a position change. I’m serious…convert him to Place Kicker. (see George Blanda’s career) Tua would immediately become the highest paid PK in the history of the NFL, but at least he would have a chance at a normal life after his playing days! In addition, the Dolphin’s coaching staff and front office can save face for mishandling this situation.
Or the place kicker’s holder?
I predict life imitating art:
“Laces OUT!”
3 concussions and not considering retiring? I’m sure he has enough money to live more than comfortably and br healthy for his wife and kids!!
It’s 4 counting the 1 while at Alabama and the first one in 2022 that Miami didn’t “acknowledge”.