Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said he expects quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to play again this season, although he did not give an exact date for his return.
Tagovailoa spent the last four weeks on the injured list due to a concussion suffered on September 12 and is not eligible to return until Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals. McDaniel stopped short of saying Tagovailoa will return to action next week, but for the first time offered some optimism about a possible return.
“I expect to see him playing football in 2024,” McDaniel said Monday. We let the process continue, because there is still time before he can even consider anything. We’ll make sure we get it right and then we’ll see. »
Tagovailoa has been bothered by concussions several times since his National Football League debut in 2020. He was diagnosed with two in 2022 and his third led the NFL to review its policy on how concussions are reported.
After being diagnosed with a concussion on December 26, 2022, the Dolphins sidelined him for the remainder of the season and Tagovailoa went through return protocol once the season ended.
The Dolphins have relied on two quarterbacks since Tagovailoa’s absence: Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley. The sophomore was on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad and started his first game two weeks later after Thompson was injured.
The team plans to continue to trust Huntley until Tagovailoa returns. McDaniel said the bye week in Week 6 allowed Huntley to delve into the intricacies of the Dolphins’ complex offense.
