Ever since Tua Tagovailoa suffered the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career, the Miami Dolphins quarterback’s future in the league has been seemingly hanging in the air.
Many have been urging him to retire for the sake of his health and family, especially considering that repeated concussions are thought to increase one’s chance of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or even Parkinson’s.
Tagovailoa suffered his most recent concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills and will be eligible to come off injured reserve for the Dolphins’ game on Oct. 27 versus the Arizona Cardinals.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he has seen some doctors and does expect to play again this season, and he believes he will be OK to resume his football career.
“Tua Tagovailoa does expect to play again this season. … He’s consulted with doctors and he believes he is okay to continue an NFL career that many people were calling for him to walk away from.”
—@AdamSchefter on Tua Tagovailoa’s potential return to gameplay pic.twitter.com/oDS2hmqhHE
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 14, 2024
Tagovailoa was the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and after struggling in his first couple of seasons, he showed some real signs of progress in 2022, his third pro season.
Last year, he threw 29 touchdown passes and completed 69.3 percent of his pass attempts while leading everyone with 4,624 passing yards and earning his first Pro Bowl nod.
But in 2022, he was diagnosed twice with a concussion, and some believed he suffered at least one additional concussion that season.
Backup Skylar Thompson took over under center in Week 2 this season once Tagovailoa went down, but then Thompson suffered a rib injury in Week 3, and thus Tyler Huntley has started their last two contests.
They got a much-needed victory over the New England Patriots in Week 5 and had their bye this past week, and they will visit the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday.
