Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will return to the field for Wednesday’s practice, nearly two weeks after he suffered a concussion in Week 4 against the Bengals, according to NFL Network.
Tagovailoa, 24, remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol as a result of the injury he suffered Sept. 29 — his second concussion in five days — and could be cleared from protocol before Sunday’s game against the Vikings. However, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel announced Wednesday that he can “say with certainty” that Tagovailoa will not play in the game.
McDaniel “plans” on starting Skylar Thompson against Minnesota, with Teddy Bridgewater to serve as the backup if he clears protocol for his own head injury.
Tagovailoa’s return to practice is part of the concussion protocol progression, which entails “non-contact sports-specific activity,” such as throwing.
Tagovailoa was taken off the field on a stretcher during Miami’s loss to the Bengals on Sept. 29 after the back of his head hit the ground on a sack by Cincinnati nose tackle Josh Tupou. It came after four days after he appeared wobbly after taking a hit in a win over the Bills. It was widely questioned why he was allowed to even return to the Buffalo game.
The quarterback has reportedly made great strides in recent days, and began ramping up his rehab work over the weekend to include cardio and strength training.
Since the injury, Tagovailoa has consulted with four independent specialists, including the top sports concussion neurologist and the top neuropsychologist.
Last week, Bennet Omalu — the famed neuropathologist who has been credited with finding chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in former football players — said Tagovailoa should “stop playing” football after his concussion in Week 4.
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Tagovailoa said he is “feeling much better and focused on recovering” to return to action in a statement he shared to Twitter the day after he was hospitalized.
Bridgewater, the Dolphins’ backup quarterback, is also in the concussion protocol. The quarterback exited Sunday’s loss to the Jets with head and elbow injuries after taking a hit from cornerback Sauce Gardner on the first play of the game.
Coach Mike McDaniel told reporters Monday there is no definitive return timetable for either quarterback to return.
Rookie Skylar Thompson — a seventh-round pick out of Kansas State — relieved Bridgewater in last week’s 40-17 loss to the Jets. Thompson finished the game with 166 yards on 19-of-33 passing.
DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFLPA, has vowed to pursue “every legal option” to investigate a potential protocol violation by the Dolphins concerning Tagovailoa.
On Friday, the NFLPA’s health and safety committee approved an update to the joint NFL-NFLPA concussion protocols that will rule out players who exhibit gross motor instability regardless of any possible contributing factors.
