Tua Tagovailoa is returning to the field for the Miami Dolphins.
On September 12, Tagovailoa suffered the third concussion of his career in a 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. In the aftermath of his injury, Tagovailoa had been in concussion protocol for the past four weeks and the Dolphins struggled in his absence. Now, Tagovailoa is set to take the field Sunday afternoon against the Arizona Cardinals after clearing concussion protocol.
The left-handed passer cleared protocol after completing a full practice Thursday. According to Tagovailoa, he has been symptom free since September 13 but understood Miami’s decision to keep him out for an extended period. Last year’s leading passer was placed on IR following the concussion and spent time speaking with “several top medical experts across the country” to determine whether he should continue his NFL career or step away from the game.
According to coach Mike McDaniel, “zero” experts recommended retirement. One player that is eager for Tagovailoa to return to action is star wideout Tyreek Hill. He had this to say about his signal-caller (per ESPN):
“It makes a lot of difference. Tua — him and Mike, they’ve got this real special connection. He allows Tua to be Tua. Tua has a connection with all the guys, all of us spend a lot of time with Tua so the connection is there. Then when you bring that all on the field, it magnifies everything that we do — throws are on time, playcalling, the operation is faster. He just does a great job of commanding this offense.”
With Tagovailoa under center, Hill posted back-to-back seasons with 119 receptions and at least 1,700 receiving yards — including a league-high 1,799 yards and 13 TDs in 2023. In Week 1 of this season, Hill caught seven passes for 130 yards and one TD. In four games without Tua, Hill hauled in 14 balls for 140 yards and failed to find the endzone.
