Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reportedly has a return date set.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports the Dolphins believe Tagovailoa will play in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Tagovailoa went on injured reserve after suffering a concussion against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. He also went into a scary fencing posture on the field from the traumatic head injury.
Tua committed to this run to pick up the first down and got carried away and didn’t know how to protect himself
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 13, 2024
Literally just ran right into Damar Hamlin who didn’t look like he was set to deliver a hard hit
Tua hit Damar more than Damar hit Tua pic.twitter.com/cS2aXEIE9H
It was the second time in two years that Tagovailoa went into a fencing posture while concussed.
According to Russini, head coach Mike McDaniel told the team that Tagovailoa’s practice window will open up Wednesday, and that the Pro Bowl QB is expected to practice.
Without Tagovailoa under center, the Dolphins are 1-2 and scoring a league-worst 12 points per game. They’ve also played three different quarterbacks in that time with Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle, and Tyler Huntley.
Russini reports that Tagovailoa “has not dealt with any lingering issues from the concussion and would play right now if he could.”
Related: Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce says Tua Tagovailoa should retire
Is it safe for Tua Tagovailoa to continue his NFL career?
The question is, though, whether Tagovailoa should come back to play.
Many within the NFL community say Tagovailoa should retire after this latest concussion. It’s the third diagnosed concussion he’s had in the NFL. He also suffered one concussion in college while playing at Alabama.
It obviously rests with Tagovailoa if he feels healthy and comfortable enough to play. And, more importantly, if he’s cleared by doctors and neurologists.
However, if he suffers another traumatic head injury, questions will once again swirl about whether it’s time to call it quits. And this time, family, friends, teammates, and doctors might have to tell Tagovailoa it’s not worth it anymore.
Related: Miami Dolphins provide cloudy injury update on Tua Tagovailoa