Tua Tagovailoa got a concussion the last time the Miami Dolphins played the Buffalo Bills in September. Is Tua playing today in the rematch?
The quarterback suffered at least his third career concussion on a hit in Week 2. Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve as some questioned whether his injury history would lead him to retire.
Tua returned to the Dolphins last week vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Miami struggled in his absence and now sit at with the worst offense in the NFL despite stars in Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane.
Here’s what we know about Tua’s injury status, his concussion history and whether he is playing today vs. the Bills:
Is Tua playing today?
Yes. Tua returned last week in a 28-27 loss to the Cardinals, going 28 of 38 for 234 yards and a touchdown. He ran three times for 13 yards and was sacked once.
He said last week that he didn’t consider retiring after his latest concussion and that he’d been symptom-free since the day after the injury.
“I think the team did what was best in the interest of me knowing that I’m a competitor and given what the doctors have told me, that having a substantial amount of time to rest and recover would have been good for me,” Tua said. “I think they did what was best in terms of protecting myself from myself.”
His Dolphins teammates were elated throughout the week about getting Tua back. “Strike up the (bleeping) band,” Tyreek Hill said. “We’re back, baby.”
Who is the Miami Dolphins quarterback today?
Tua Tagovailoa will start. His backup will be Skylar Thompson.
Before Tua came back, in an Oct. 20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Tyler Huntley was the Dolphins starting quarterback, going 7 of 13 for 87 yards and a touchdown, adding 20 rushing yards. Tim Boyle came in after Huntley suffered a shoulder injury, finishing 8 of 13 for 74 yards. Thompson was the emergency third-string QB, missing his third straight game with injured ribs.
Huntley was placed on injured reserve last week. That leaves Thompson as the only other QB on the active roster, with C.J. Beathard signed to the practice squad. Boyle was released to make room for Tagovailoa on the active roster.
Will Tua wear a Guardian cap?
The NFL this season allowed players to wear Guardian caps, covers that include a soft layer of foam placed over a regular football helmet, during games. They have become standard in practices across football as a preventative measure against head injuries. Running back De’Von Achane became the first Dolphin to wear a Guardian cap in a game Oct. 20 vs. the Colts; Achane suffered a concussion the previous week.
Tagovailoa did not wear a Guardian cap last week after saying in the leadup to the game it was a personal choice. He said he would adjust by playing smarter and taking more calculated risks on the field.
“I love this game,” Tua said Oct. 21, “and I love it to the death of me.”
What happened to Tua Tagovailoa?
On a fourth-down play late in the third quarter Thursday night, September 12, Tua Tagovailoa scrambled up the middle for a first down. He dove into Bills safety Damar Hamlin with his head hitting the defender’s chest and then hitting the ground.
Tua’s arms froze in the air in what neurologists refer to as the “fencing response,” a sign of head trauma. He was able to walk off the field and did not return to the game. He was later diagnosed with a concussion, his third official concussion in the past three seasons.
Tua was placed on injured reserve September 17, automatically taking him out of the Dolphins’ next four games.
How many concussions has Tua had in his lifetime?
September 12 was Tua’s third registered concussion, though there is speculation that he had a fourth. In 2022, during the Dolphins’ Week 3 game against the Bills, the back of Tua’s head hit the ground hard after a hit by Matt Milano. The quarterback stumbled while he got up, and he briefly exited the game. McDaniel said Tua was checked by an independent neurologist and was out of the NFL’s concussion protocol the following day. The injury was initially announced as a head injury, but that was later changed to a back injury.
Four days after that game, Tua had an even scarier injury on Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the second quarter, the quarterback was slammed hard to the turf and he lay there afterward with his fingers seemingly frozen in the air for several seconds. He wound up missing the next two weeks after the Bengals game.
Ten weeks after he came back, Tua suffered another head injury against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day. He briefly exited that game before returning. After the game, he was diagnosed with another concussion. Tua would miss the last two games of the regular season, as well as the Dolphins’ first playoff game since the 2016 season.
“Do I want to be known for this (concussions)?” Tua said last week. “No, I don’t. But that’s the cards I’ve been dealt given the history of it.”
Tua Tagovailoa injury history
Tua did not have a history of concussions before entering the NFL, but his college football career at Alabama was derailed by injuries. After subbing in for Jalen Hurts at halftime to win the 2018 national championship game, he suffered a high-ankle sprain during the following year’s SEC championship game. He got “tightrope” surgery and was back for the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff run less than a month later.
After returning from another sprained ankle in 2019, Tua dislocated his right hip on what turned out to be the last play of his college career. Reports said he was “screaming in pain” on the field before being carted to the locker room. The injury caused him to fall from the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Dolphins at No. 5.
In the NFL, Tua has missed 13 regular-season games across his first five NFL seasons, plus one playoff game. He played all 17 games plus the playoff game in 2023. He missed four games this season while on IR.
Miami Dolphins depth chart
Here’s a look at the quarterback on the Dolphins roster, along with their injury status:
- QB1: Tua Tagovailoa
- QB2: Skylar Thompson
- Practice squad: C.J. Beathard
- IR: Tyler Huntley (shoulder)
Where to watch Dolphins vs Bills: Time, TV channel, streaming
- When: 1 p.m. Sunday, November 3
- Where: Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, New York)
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: Paramount+ | Fubo (free trial)
Dolphins vs. Bills will broadcast nationally on Fox in Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season. Kevin Harlan and Trent Green will call the game from the booth at Highmark Stadium, with Melanie Collins reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game include Paramount+, CBS’s subscription streaming service, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Contributing: Tom D’Angelo, Hal Habib, Nick Pugliese and Joe Schad, The Palm Beach Post
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