Miami Dolphins Place Tua Tagovailoa On Injured Reserve After Concussion

On Tuesday, the Miami Dolphins placed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve with a concussion. This means that he will not be eligible to return to the team until week eight at the earliest, but the Dolphins are not pushing him. Head coach Mike McDaniel does not want Tagovailoa to feel any pressure, as anxiety can contribute to worsening concussions.

“I’m not trying to even look at, OK, well, how serious is this relative to his past ones? I know the facts are that it’s important that he gets healthy day by day … the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint.”

Tagovailoa took a hit to the head as he scrambled for a first down Thursday night against the Buffalo Bills from safety Damar Hamlin and needed help from trainers to walk off the field. Immediately, concern rang out around the league as this would be Tagovailoa’s third concussion in three seasons for a player just 26 years old. He is the only quarterback in concussion protocol three times in five seasons, leading to speculation he would leave the game altogether.  Some media pundits, including Robert Griffin III and Manti T’eo, called for the Alabama alumni’s retirement from the NFL, given that he has a young family and head injuries add up over time. However, reports from various sources state that Tagovailoa will not retire from the NFL.

The Dolphins are turning to backup quarterback Skylar Thompson to start their week three matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on the road. Thompson played five seasons at Kansas State University before being drafted by the Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. In relief on Thursday, he went 8/14 for 80 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The team also signed Snoop Huntley off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, and he did an admirable job filling in for Lamar Jackson over the last few seasons.