The Miami Dolphins are back from their bye week, and head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t waste a single second to provide an eye-opening update on Tua Tagovailoa‘s future in the NFL.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the Dolphins head coach confirmed that Tua will play again this season. While McDaniel couldn’t provide an exact return date, he expects the Fins’ starting quarterback to be back at some point during the 2024 NFL season.
“Results have continued to be positive. There’s still information he’s seeking this week. As far as timelines go, I know he’s not playing this week and I do expect him to see him playing football in 2024, but where that is…,” McDaniel said. “We’ll just let the process continue since we still have time before we could even entertain anything (with him still on IR).“
Tagovailoa’s future in the NFL looked up in the air after he suffered another concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins signal-caller had already hurt his head in the 2022 season, which is why many feared this new blow could end his career.
However, it looks like Tua has no intention of hanging up his cleats anytime soon. The Alabama product has been on Injured Reserve since Week 3, but he’ll remain uneligible for the Dolphins‘ upcoming game against the Indianapolis Colts because bye weeks don’t count for players on IR.
When is Tua Tagovailoa playing for the Dolphins again?
Tua Tagovailoa will be eligible to resume practicing on October 23. In the event all goes well, he’ll be cleared from the concussion protocol and McDaniel could already start him in the Dolphins’ Week 8 game against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 27.
But as the coach said, it will depend on his progress. If the doctors suggest Tua needs more time, McDaniel will continue starting Tyler Huntley until Tagovailoa is completely cleared to return.
Upcoming Miami Dolphins games
With Tua on IR at least one more week, the Dolphins will play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday with Huntley under center. Here’s what the rest of the 2024 NFL schedule looks like for Miami:
- Week 7: at Colts
- Week 8: vs Cardinals
- Week 9: at Bills
- Week 10: at Rams
- Week 11: vs Raiders
- Week 12: vs Patriots
- Week 13: at Packers
- Week 14: vs Jets
- Week 15: at Texans
- Week 16: vs 49ers
- Week 17: at Browns
- Week 18: at Jets