MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he expects quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to play again this season, although he did not have an exact date for his return.

Tagovailoa has spent the last four weeks on injured reserve with a concussion he suffered on September 12 and will not be eligible to return until the Dolphins’ game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. McDaniel has not committed to Tagovailoa returning when he will be eligible next time. week, but for the first time since his injury, he showed some optimism about the quarterback playing again this season.

“I do expect to see him play football in 2024,” McDaniel said on Monday. “But where exactly that is, we’ll let the process continue because we still have time before he can even entertain. We’ll make sure he’s diligent this week and then assess.”

Tagovailoa has a history of concussions since joining the league in 2020. During the 2022 season, he was diagnosed with two concussions and suffered a third blow to the head that led to the NFL changing its policy on how concussions are reported.

After he was diagnosed with a concussion on December 26, 2022, the Dolphins effectively shut him down for the remainder of the season; he went through the league’s protocol once the season was over.

While that doesn’t appear to be the plan this time, McDaniel said he hasn’t spent any time wondering if Tagovailoa would ever play again.

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned, for me as a head coach, is that it’s imperative that I have control,” McDaniel said. “It happened so fast that he got hurt and immediately said, ‘Okay, what’s best for you, Tua?’ I didn’t really give myself any reflection on whether or not he would do that. I was so concerned about where he was in his career, for his family.

“It’s exciting that I believe he will play football this year. I have never wondered whether or not he would want to, because I have learned through circumstances that this is the wrong question to ask. The questions are therefore completely focused on the person and the player.”

Miami has started two quarterbacks in Tagovailoa’s absence, Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley; the latter was signed from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad and started his first game after an injury to Thompson two weeks later.

The team plans to continue starting Huntley until Tagovailoa’s return. McDaniel said the team’s bye in Week 6 allowed Huntley to “really jump in” on the finer points of the Dolphins’ complex offense.

In addition to Tagovailoa, McDaniel was noncommittal about every Dolphins player currently on injured reserve and returning to action this week. He did confirm that linebacker Bradley Chubb would not practice or play this week, although there have been no setbacks in his return from a torn ACL suffered on December 31 last year.

Running back De’Von Achane’s status remains in question after he suffered a concussion during Miami’s win over the New England Patriots in Week 5. He participated in the team’s practice on Monday even though he was wearing a red non-contact jersey. Safety Jevon Holland was also at practice after breaking his hand in Week 5; McDaniel named him week-to-week before the bye week began, and his status for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts is unclear.