Editor's note: This story was originally published on Sept. 13, after Miami's loss to Buffalo. On Tuesday, a source confirmed to ESPN that the Dolphins will place Tagovailoa on injured reserve.
MIAMI — After the 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 out for at least four games.
Tagovailoa was ruled out in the third quarter of the Dolphins' 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thursday after a play in which he ran up the middle of the field 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 assumed a fencing stance, a term used to describe a person's arms being in an unnatural position.
Dolphins medical trainers attended to Tagovailoa for several minutes as players knelt around him. He was eventually able to walk off the field and into the locker room on his own.
From that point, the Dolphins had 10 days until their next game against the Seattle Seahawks to rule out Tagovailoa, regardless of how he progressed through the league's concussion protocol. They ultimately placed him on injured reserve.
His return is not guaranteed when Miami hosts the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. The team is not rushing its newly crowned franchise quarterback back from another traumatic head injury. Tagovailoa will seek opinions from several independent neurologists before returning to the field.
Asked about Tagovailoa's football future, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said it was up to the quarterback to decide.
“As far as Tua's career goes, I think it's a top priority for him to talk about his career,” McDaniel said. “That's why I think reports are reports. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just concerned about the human being and his situation day to day, and I think I'll let Tua be the champion of his own career and talk about that.”
This is the first time Miami has been forced to play without its starting 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 started and 7-9 in games every other quarterback started, 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 of winning 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 final season at Alabama, but suffered a dislocated hip and a fracture of the posterior wall of the hip socket midway through 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 during his first two seasons due to various minor injuries. In 2022, he was diagnosed with two concussions and suffered a third blow to the head that ultimately led the NFL to modify its concussion protocol.
However, he did not miss a game during the 2023 season and earned a four-year, $212.1 million contract extension in July.
What options did Tagovailoa consider after his 2022 season?
Tagovailoa admitted that he briefly considered retirement after talking to his family. During an interview with “The Dan Le Batard Show” last month, he clarified that it was primarily his mother who asked him to reconsider his playing career.
Ultimately, he decided against it and spent the 2023 offseason getting stronger and training in a jiu-jitsu fall program to learn how to fall without hitting his head on the ground.
Tagovailoa also began wearing a VICIS helmet specifically designed to limit the wearer's concussions.
“It was a better percentage than the helmet I had,” Tagovailoa said in August 2023. “Everything matters and that's why I'm going to play with that percentage. So if you look at last year, nobody hit my head. It was really just the ground.”
The workout and helmet change seemed to help, as 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 that he lost 14 pounds in an effort to be more mobile.
If Tagovailoa wants to return to the field, what hurdles will he have to overcome in the concussion protocol?
McDaniel said Tagovailoa will undergo extensive testing and evaluation. The NFL's return-to-play protocol is a five-step process that culminates with the team physician and an independent neurological consultant agreeing that the player can safely return to play.
The first step of the protocol is rest and recovery “until signs and symptoms and neurological examination” return to their “baseline state.” The next step is gentle aerobic exercise, followed by continued aerobic exercise and introduction of strength training.
A player can return to football activities in the fourth step of the protocol, all of which are non-contact. The final step is full clearance, once the doctor and neurologist agree the player is ready.
What are the Dolphins' options at quarterback? Will they sign another player?
Third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson is in a position to 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 to be the backup. McDaniel said the decision to add Huntley was “not a direct reflection on Skylar” and was made to bolster the team’s depth.
The other quarterback on the roster is Tim Boyle, who is signed to the practice squad.
McDaniel expressed “utmost confidence” in Thompson, who beat out veteran Mike White for the backup job this offseason, in part because of how the coach said the team responded whenever Thompson was on the field.
Sunday will be his second road game. 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 in this week's preparation and just play his game.
