What we know about Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on September 13, after Miami’s loss to Buffalo. On Tuesday, a source confirmed to ESPN that the Dolphins placed Tagovailoa on injured reserve.

MIAMI – After Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa was diagnosed with the third concussion of his NFL career, a source told ESPN on Tuesday that the quarterback will be placed on injured reserve and will be out at least four games.

Tagovailoa was ruled out in the third quarter of the Dolphins’ 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday after a play he scrambled up the middle for a first down and lowered his shoulder to initiate contact with Bills safety Damar Hamlin. After Tagovailoa’s helmet made contact with Hamlin’s body, the quarterback fell to the ground and went into a fence response, a term used to describe a person’s hands in an unnatural position.

A Dolphins medical trainer arrived at Tagovailoa minutes later as players knelt around him. He finally made it off the field and into the locker room under his own power.

From that point, the Dolphins have 10 days until their next game against the Seattle Seahawks to waive Tagovailoa, regardless of how he progresses through the concussion protocol. They ended up putting him on IR.

He is not guaranteed to return when Miami hosts the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. The team is in no rush to back the recently crowned franchise quarterback from another traumatic head injury. Tagovailoa will seek the opinions of several independent neurologists before returning to the field.

When asked about Tagovailoa’s future in football, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said it’s up to the quarterback to decide.

“As far as Tua’s career goes, I think it’s a top priority for Tua to talk about Tua’s career,” McDaniel said. “So I treat reporting as reporting. As far as I’m concerned, I’m just concerned about people and where they’re at every day, and I think I’ll let Tua champion his own career and talk. there.”

It’s the first time Miami has been forced to play without a quarterback since 2022, when Skylar Thompson and Teddy Bridgewater started a combined five games, including a playoff loss to the Bills. Since Tagovailoa entered the league in 2020, Miami is 33-20 in games he starts and 7-9 in all other QB starts, including Thompson, Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

According to ESPN Research, the Dolphins have a 19% chance of making the playoffs, which ranks 13th out of 16 AFC teams. Miami has a 3% chance to win the AFC East.

Here’s what we know about Tagovailoa’s situation:

What is Tagovailoa’s injury history?

Tagovailoa was a candidate to be selected as the top quarterback in the 2020 NFL draft during his last season at Alabama but suffered a hip dislocation and fractured the posterior wall of his hip socket in the middle of the season. He was also diagnosed with a concussion and a broken nose that year.

Tagovailoa recovered in time to play for the Dolphins as a rookie but missed five games over his first two seasons with minor injuries. In 2022, he was diagnosed with two concussions and suffered a third blow to his head that eventually caused the NFL to change its concussion protocol.

However, he did not miss a game through the 2023 season, and received a four-year, $212.1 million contract extension in July.

What options is Tagovailoa considering after the 2022 season?

Tagovailoa admitted to quickly considering retirement after talking to his family. During an interview with “The Dan Le Batard Show” last month, he explained that it was mainly his mother who asked him to reconsider his acting career.

Ultimately, he decided against it and spent the 2023 offseason bulking up and training in a breakfall jiujitsu program to learn how to fall without hitting his head on the ground.

Tagovailoa also began wearing a VICIS helmet specially designed to limit concussions to the wearer.

“It’s like a percentage better than the helmet I have,” Tagovailoa said in August 2023. “Everything is important and I’m going to play that percentage. So if you look at last year, it’s not anybody’s right. Hitting my head is really just ground.”

Training and changing helmets apparently helped when he played in all of Miami’s games last season, including a playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. This offseason, Tagovailoa told CBS Sports he lost 14 pounds in an effort to become more mobile.

If Tagovailoa wants to return to the field, what hurdles must he overcome in the concussion protocol?

McDaniel said Tagovailoa will undergo a thorough test and evaluation. The NFL’s return-to-participation protocol is a five-step process that culminates in team physicians agreeing with an independent neurological consultant that it is safe to return to play.

The first step of the protocol is rest and recovery “until signs and symptoms and neurological examination” return to “initial status.” The next step is light aerobic exercise, followed by continued aerobic exercise and the introduction of strength training.

The player can return to football activities in the fourth step of the protocol, all non-contact. The final step is a complete clearance, after the doctor and neurological consultant agree the player is ready.

What are the Dolphins’ options at quarterback? Will they sign another player?

Third-year midfielder Skylar Thompson will start. Thompson started three games as a rookie in 2022, including a playoff loss on the road at Buffalo. On Monday, the Dolphins signed quarterback Tyler Huntley as a backup. McDaniel said the move to add Huntley was “not a direct reflection on Skylar” and was made to expand the team.

Another midfielder on the roster is Tim Boyle, who made the practice squad.

McDaniel expressed “the utmost confidence” in Thompson, who beat out veteran Mike White for the backup job this offseason — in part because the coach said the team responded when Thompson was on the field.

Sunday will mark the start of the second road. Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who played for the Seahawks for four seasons, said his advice to Thompson for Sunday’s game is to remember that his teammates are on the field with him, trust him in preparation this week and just play the game.