MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will return to practice this week after missing the team’s past four games, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.
Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve after he was diagnosed with a concussion in Week 2, the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career. In his absence this season, the Dolphins (2-4) lost three of their four games and are 2½ games behind the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills.
McDaniel said medical experts have deemed it safe for Tagovailoa to return; barring any setbacks, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are aiming for him to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. He technically has not cleared concussion protocol but isn’t able to do so until he resumes practicing.
“This week, our plan is [for Tagovailoa] to start practicing on Wednesday,” McDaniel said. “The clearing doesn’t come until after some of the activity, but we’re obviously doing so in the hope of everything going well so that he can play Sunday. But that will be to be determined.”
Tagovailoa spent the past month resting and meeting with “several” neurologists to determine the viability of resuming play — including some of the same doctors he visited in 2022. All of them, he said, cleared him to continue playing.
The quarterback said Monday that he never considered retirement and has been symptom-free since the day after his concussion. He also said he won’t be wearing a Guardian Cap when he returns to play. Dolphins running back De’Von Achane wore a Guardian Cap in Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts in his return from a concussion.
Asked about his decision not to wear a Guardian Cap, Tagovailoa said, “personal choice.”
In a statement released to ESPN, Guardian Sports, which produces the Guardian Cap, said it respects players’ preferences when it comes to using its product.
“At Guardian Sports, we prioritize the health, safety, and well-being of all players. We believe that reducing the impact of non-concussive hits across a player’s career can make a difference. However, we also acknowledge that no product can make a player concussion-proof, and we support and respect that each athlete has personal preferences when it comes to their equipment,” Jake Hanson, the chief operating officer of Guardian Sports, said in the statement.
McDaniel reaffirmed Monday that the decision to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve was based on medical experts’ recommendation. Tagovailoa admitted he was frustrated by his stint on injured reserve but understood why the Dolphins made their decision.
Tagovailoa was injured when he initiated contact at the end of a scramble during Miami’s loss to the Bills in Week 2. McDaniel said Tagovailoa will return to the field with an understanding of his responsibility to protect himself in similar situations in the future.
Doing so, Tagovailoa said, will require him to alter the playing style that made him the top-ranked dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school.
“I’ve got to be smart. That’s it, I’ve got to be smart,” he said. “My entire time playing football, I’ve been a competitor and that is, or was sort of my edge when I would run — from high school, even in college I would do the same thing. … The professional level, the best of the best, you just can’t be doing that. So, [I’ve] definitely got to stay more available for the team, for the organization, for our guys.”
Tagovailoa was terse and visibly annoyed throughout his first media availability in more than a month, stemming from his frustration with the attention on his health.
He said he didn’t pay attention to any outside noise or opinions about his health or playing career but thanked anyone who was genuinely concerned for his well-being. Tagovailoa added that he didn’t want to be known for his concussions but accepted that these are “the cards I’ve been dealt.”
“I’ve got to be smart. That’s it, I’ve got to be smart. My entire time playing football, I’ve been a competitor and that is, or was sort of my edge when I would run — from high school, even in college I would do the same thing. … The professional level the best of the best. You just can’t be doing that.”
Tua Tagovailoa
Tagovailoa missed five games due to two diagnosed concussions in 2022, including Miami’s playoff loss to the Bills, and sustained a third blow to the head that ultimately led to the NFL altering its policy on how concussions are reported. One of his concussions briefly hospitalized him during a nationally televised game against the Cincinnati Bengals and came four days after a hit to the head that seemingly left him concussed but was ultimately described as a back injury.
“I just think this is only becoming a thing just because of what ended up happening two years ago for myself within the sport,” he said. “I hate that it’s happened, but we don’t look at boxers the same way. We don’t look at hockey players the same way. I just think because of what happened, and the magnitude it had, that it’s becoming more of an issue here in the league.”
Tyler Huntley has started the past three games for the Dolphins but left Sunday’s game against the Colts with an injury to his right shoulder. McDaniel said it’s unclear who will be Tagovailoa’s backup should he clear concussion protocol in time to play Sunday.
Miami’s offense, which led the league in yards last season, has struggled without its starting quarterback. The Dolphins are averaging a league-worst 11.67 points per game and rank 23rd in passing yards per game.
McDaniel said the team can’t look to Tagovailoa as the “savior” as it looks to bounce back from a tough start. If he’s able to clear protocol and play this week, Tagovailoa said he’s not concerned by the risks involved with playing football.
“Well, how much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work? You could get into a car crash maybe?” he said. “Every time we all suit up, we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt. Whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything — you get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle.
“There’s just risk in any and everything. I’m willing to play the odds.”
While Tagovailoa appears close to returning, the Dolphins received bad news on the injury front regarding another player Monday. An MRI revealed that wide receiver and kick returner Braxton Berrios suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the 2024 season, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Berrios sustained his injury in Sunday’s loss to the Colts.
ESPN’s Michele Steele contributed to this report.
