Mike McDaniel is pleased that the Miami Dolphins secured a 20-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns on the road, but the most challenging aspect for the head coach was having to play without his starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, who is currently dealing with a hip injury. McDaniel addressed the quarterback’s status and health following the game.
According to the head coach, Tagovailoa is dealing with a hip injury, but surgery is not currently being considered. “A surgery is currently not on the table…” McDaniel explained, adding that more time is needed to confirm Tagovailoa’s status moving forward. “We’ll be hopeful [for next week] as we progress.”
Mike McDaniel kept his comments on Tua Tagovailoa‘s injury simple and vague, seemingly unwilling to reveal the full extent of the issue. The Dolphins head coach acknowledged how difficult it is to forecast the quarterback’s availability vs Jets, saying, “To even begin to forecast this next week is difficult because we were waiting until the last hour.”
It’s worth noting that up until the Dolphins’ game against the Browns, Tagovailoa had played 11 games this season. He had missed a few due to a concussion suffered early in the year, and to date, he has posted 19 touchdowns, 2,867 passing yards, and 7 interceptions.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa
Mike McDaniel Wanted to Avoid a More Serious Injury for Tagovailoa
McDaniel also confessed that he was trying to protect Tagovailoa from a more significant injury. “The main thing was that he not only was super susceptible to a much more significant injury based upon that injury if he were to fall in harm’s way,” McDaniel explained. He also added that the quarterback was weak and wouldn’t have been able to protect himself if he had played against the Browns.
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Tyler Huntley Nearly Perfect in Relief Against the Browns
Despite Tagovailoa’s absence, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley stepped in and had a solid performance for the Dolphins. Huntley completed 22 of 26 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown, without throwing any interceptions. However, he was sacked four times for a loss of 19 yards. Huntley also showcased his legs, rushing for a touchdown on 7 attempts during the game.
