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    • Miami Dolphins quarterback concussion update
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    Miami Dolphins quarterback concussion update

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    The Miami Dolphins could see their starting quarterback return soon. When will Tua Tagovailoa return?

    Coach Mike McDaniel said Monday he expects Tagovailoa to play again this season after the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft suffered a concussion in Week 2. It was at least the third concussion Tua has had in the last three years, and his injury history led many to speculate that he could choose to retire rather than return to play.

    The news of his expected return is welcome for the Dolphins and their fans. Miami is off to a 2-3 start, and their vaunted offense with Tyreek Hill, De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle is sputtering with Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley at quarterback.

    But when will Tua return? It’s not a given that he’ll return as soon as he’s eligible. Here’s what we know about Tua’s injury status, his concussion history and when he could be back on the football field:

    What happened to Tua Tagovailoa?

    On a fourth-down play late in the third quarter on Thursday evening, September 12, Tua Tagovailoa scrambled up the middle for a first down. He dove into Bills safety Damar Hamlin, his head hitting the defender’s chest before hitting the ground.

    Tua’s arms froze in mid-air in what neurologists call the “fencing reaction,” a sign of head trauma. He was able to leave the field and did not return to the match. He was later diagnosed with a concussion, his third official concussion in the past three seasons.

    Tua was placed on injured reserve on September 17, automatically eliminating him from the Dolphins’ next four games.

    Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Tagovailoa is expected to return this season, although he was unsure when.

    “I expect to see him playing football in 2024,” McDaniel said. “But where exactly that is, we’ll let the process continue because we still have time before he can even entertain anything.”

    Tagovailoa has spent time visiting specialists around the country after his most recent concussion. While he was healthy all of 2023, he had at least two concussions in 2022. McDaniel said the news “remains positive” as Tagovailoa used the Dolphins’ bye week last week to seek further medical advice.

    “There’s still information he’s looking for this week,” McDaniel said.

    Tua Tagovailoa concussion history

    September 12 was Tua’s third recorded concussion, although there is speculation he had a fourth. In 2022, during the Dolphins’ Week 3 game against the Bills, the back of Tua’s head hit the ground hard after a hit from Matt Milano. The quarterback stumbled while getting up, and he briefly left the play. McDaniel said Tua was monitored by an independent neurologist and was out of the NFL’s concussion protocol the next day. Initially the injury was announced as a head injury, but that was later changed to a back injury.

    Four days after that game, Tua suffered an even scarier injury on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the second quarter, the quarterback was thrown hard to the turf and then lay there for several seconds with his fingers seemingly frozen in mid-air. He missed the next two weeks after the Bengals game.

    Ten weeks after returning, Tua suffered another head injury against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day. He left that game shortly before returning. After the match he was diagnosed with another concussion. Tua would miss the final two games of the regular season as well as the Dolphins’ first playoff game since the 2016 season.

    When can Tua play again?

    Tagovailoa’s move to injured reserve after Week 2 meant he would miss at least the Dolphins’ next four games. The Dolphins’ game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Week 7 is the final game of that stretch (Miami had a bye last week).

    That means Tagovailoa would be eligible to return from IR on Oct. 27 in a home game against the Arizona Cardinals. He is eligible to return to training on October 23.

    When will Tua Tagovailoa return?

    While he will be eligible to play again at the end of the month, there is no telling when he will actually play again.

    McDaniel said his immediate concern regarding Tagovailoa was not whether he would get his starting quarterback back on the field this season, but rather about Tagovailoa the person.

    “It’s exciting that I believe he will play football this year,” McDaniel said. “I’ve never questioned whether or not he would want it, just because I’ve learned through circumstances that that’s the wrong question to ask. The right questions are 100 percent focused on people.”

    • September 8: vs. Jacksonville (W 20-17)
    • September 12: vs. Buffalo (L 31-10)
    • September 22: in Seattle (L 24-3)
    • September 30: vs. Tennessee (L 31-12)
    • October 6: in New England, 1 p.m
    • October 13: Goodbye
    • October 20: in Indianapolis, 1 p.m
    • October 27: vs. Arizona, 1 p.m
    • November 3: in Buffalo, 1 p.m
    • November 11: at LA Rams, 8:15 PM
    • November 17: vs. Las Vegas, 1 p.m
    • November 24: vs. New England, 1 p.m
    • November 28: in Green Bay, 8:20 PM
    • December 8: at NY Jets, 1 p.m
    • December 15: in Houston, 1 p.m
    • December 22: vs. San Francisco, 4:25 p.m
    • December 29: in Cleveland, 8:20 PM
    • TBA: at NY Jets
    • File: 2-3

    Contributors: Hal Habib, Palm Beach Post

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