Tua Tagovailoa won’t play in Week 7 when the Miami Dolphins play the Indianapolis Colts. But Mike McDaniel does expect the quarterback to return at some point this season.
“I do expect to see him playing football in 2024. But where that is, exactly — we’ll let the process continue, since we still have time before he can even entertain anything,” the Dolphins coach told reporters on Monday. “We’ll make sure that he’s diligent this week and assess after that.”
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in September against the Buffalo Bills and was placed on injured reserve. Despite this being the third concussion for Tagovailoa, he never had plans to retire and wanted to return to the field in 2024.
“It is exciting that I do believe he’ll play football this year. I never went down that rabbit hole of whether he would or wouldn’t, because I’ve learned through circumstance that’s the wrong question to be asking,” McDaniel said. “The right questions are completely, 100% toward the human being and the player, as a result.”
Tagovailoa is eligible to return to practice on Oct. 23 and play in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals. It’s unclear if that will be the case or if he’ll need more time in his recovery.
The Dolphins have struggled in Tagovailoa’s absence, going 0-3 with Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley under center. Thompson suffered a rib injury that has kept him sidelined, and Huntley has thrown for just 290 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception in two games.
Huntley is expected to be the starter until Tagovailoa returns.
