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Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN
MIAMI – Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career in a 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.
Tagovailoa was taken out of the game in the third quarter after he ran up the middle on a play to gain a first down and lowered his shoulder to make contact with Bills safety Damar Hamlin. After Tagovailoa’s helmet made hard contact with Hamlin’s body, the quarterback immediately went into a fencing reaction, a term used to describe when a person’s arms get into an unnatural position.
The Dolphins’ medical trainers tended to him for several minutes while the players knelt around him. Eventually, he was able to leave the field under his own power and walk to the team’s locker room.
The Dolphins have 10 days until their next game against the Seattle Seahawks, but could leave Tagovailoa out regardless of how he progresses through the league’s concussion protocol. A stint on the injured list could be another possibility given his injury history.
“Right now, it’s more about getting a proper evaluation of the process and taking it one day at a time,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said after the game. “The schedule, to me, is the last thing I’m thinking about. We’ve just got to evaluate and just take care of my teammate … we’ll get more information (on Friday) and then go day by day.”
Here are four important questions following Tagovailoa’s recent concussion.
What is Tagovailoa’s injury history?
Tagovailoa was arguably the best quarterback of the 2020 NFL Draft during his final season at Alabama when he suffered a hip dislocation and fractured the posterior wall of his hip socket mid-season. He was also diagnosed with a concussion and a broken nose this year.
Tagovailoa recovered in time to play for the Dolphins as a rookie, but missed five games in his first two seasons due to various minor injuries. In 2022, he was diagnosed with two concussions and suffered a third blow to the head, which ultimately led to the NFL changing its concussion protocol.
However, he did not miss a single game in the 2023 season and received a four-year, $212.1 million contract extension in July.
What options has Tagovailoa considered after his 2022 season?
Tagovailoa admitted to briefly considering retirement after discussions with his family. In an interview with The Dan Le Batard Show, he clarified that his mother had asked him to reconsider his playing career in the first place.
Ultimately, he decided against it and spent the 2023 offseason building muscle and participating in a jiu-jitsu breakfall program to learn how to fall without hitting his head on the ground.
The workout seemed to help, as he played in all of Miami’s games last season, including a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In the offseason, Tagovailoa told CBS Sports he lost 14 pounds to become more flexible.
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Mike McDaniel: Tua in “good mood” after concussion
Mike McDaniel says Tua Tagovailoa has been talking to his teammates in the locker room and is in good spirits after his concussion.
If Tagovailoa wants to return to the field, what hurdles will he have to overcome in the concussion protocol?
McDaniel said Tagovailoa will undergo thorough testing and evaluation before a decision is made on how to proceed. The NFL’s return-to-play protocol is a five-step process that ends with the team doctor agreeing with an independent neurological consultant that the player is safe to return to play.
The first step of the protocol is rest and recovery “until his signs and symptoms and neurologic examination” return to “baseline.” The next step is light aerobic exercise, followed by continued aerobic exercise and the introduction of resistance training.
The fourth step of the protocol allows a player to return to soccer-specific activities, all of which are non-contact. The final step is full clearance once the physician and neurological consultant agree the player is ready.
What options do the Dolphins have at quarterback? Will they sign another player?
If Tagovailoa is unable to play next week against the Seahawks, third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson is projected to be the starter. Thompson started three games as a rookie in 2022, including a playoff loss on the road at Buffalo.
The only other quarterback on the Dolphins’ roster is Tim Boyle, who is officially signed to their practice squad. There are free agent options should Miami decide to add another quarterback, most notably Ryan Tannehill, the team’s first-round pick in 2012.
McDaniel did not comment on whether he could play without Tagovailoa, but expressed his “utmost confidence” in Thompson. It’s unlikely Miami will immediately sign another quarterback to replace Thompson, but it could provide depth if Tagovailoa is out.
