Tua Tagovailoa (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The Miami Dolphins have announced a significant injury update on star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a concussion in last Thursday’s home game against the Buffalo Bills.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Dolphins are placing Tua Tagovailoa on the injured reserve. This means he will have to miss a minimum of four games, so the earliest he could return is Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Dolphins are in Seattle to take on the Seahawks this Sunday, followed by a home tilt with the Tennessee Titans on “Monday Night Football.” After visiting the New England Patriots in Week 5, Miami will have a bye week before returning to action on the road against the Indianapolis Colts.
Tua agovailoa suffered a concussion in the third quarter of Week 2 against the Bills after sliding head-first to pick up a first down. Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin accidentally made contact with Tagovailoa’s head during the tackle, and Skylar Thompson had to finish the game for Miami.
The Bills soundly defeated the Dolphins 31-10 to move to 2-0 on the year, while Mike McDaniel’s group fell to 1-1. Now, the Dolphins must get by without their star signal-caller for at least four weeks.
Tagovailoa had three head-related injuries, including two confirmed concussions, in the 2022 season and missed five total games. With Tagovailoa injured, Thompson started two regular season games and the Dolphins’ Wild Card Round playoff loss to Buffalo.
Tua Tagovailoa Must Consider His Future In Football
There have been plenty of calls for Tagovailoa to retire following his latest concussion. Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce and notable ex-NFL stars like Tony Gonzalez, Shannon Sharpe, Dez Bryant and Antonio Bown have all called for Tagovailoa to prioritize his long-term health by retiring.
Tagovailos is only 26 years of age, and having this many concussions early in his career is awfully worrisome. At the end of the day, nobody would fault him if he decided to retire.