The Miami Dolphins are holding their collective breath after starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa got tackled to the turf on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills and was eventually carted to the locker room.
Here’s a look at the hit that forced Tagovailoa out of action, as he was taken to the locker room on a cart, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe:
The Dolphins announced soon after the nature of Tagovailoa’s injury:
Here’s the latest on Tagovailoa’s status, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero:
Tagovailoa led Miami to a 17-16 Week 1 win over the AFC East rival New England Patriots, and the Dolphins were hoping to start 2-0 in the division against reigning champion Buffalo. Unfortunately, that becomes much more of an uphill battle with Tagovailoa banged up.
This is definitely a red flag for the 2020 No. 5 overall pick. As a rookie, Tagovailoa was working his way back from a major hip injury. Combine that with an abbreviated offseason program, and he wasn’t quite prepared to be the starter right away, as he was benched multiple times in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick.
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But it’s Tagovailoa’s team for now, and he’s looked the part, with improved arm strength, command of the offense and, it seems, more confidence from a physical and preparation standpoint than he had in 2020.
Jacoby Brissett is now going to be thrust into duty with Tagovailoa sidelined. There are many worse backup QBs in the NFL. However, Brissett’s strong arm and decent mobility for being 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds are somewhat offset by his lacking accuracy, as he has a career completion rate of 59.6%.