Every year we are given a sobering reminder of how dangerous football can be, and we got it early this season. To kick off Week 2, the Miami Dolphins hosted the Buffalo Bills for a Thursday Night Football showdown. Miami was blown out at home to the tune of 31-10, but the game wasn’t the only thing the Dolphins lost.
In the third quarter, Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered yet another head injury when he collided with Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. Tua walked off the field under his own power, and was swiftly ruled out from the rest of the game with a concussion. It marked the third *diagnosed* concussion of Tua’s NFL career, which shockingly somehow does not include this deeply concerning moment from the 2022 season.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel afterwards told the media he has “zero idea“ in regards to Tua’s timeline to return, but that “the best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint.”
McDaniel did mention it seems likely Tua will miss Miami’s Week 3 game.
“I don’t see how (Tua) would play in the next game,” McDaniel said. “I don’t see it — but who am I to know or judge? … But again, I have no idea and I’m not all of a sudden going to start making decisions. I don’t even see myself involved in the most important part of (making that decision).”
The next game up for the Dolphins in Week 3 is a rare trip to Lumen Field to play the Seahawks in Seattle. The last time Miami made the trip to the Emerald City was in Week 1 of the 2016 season, a 12-10 Seahawks victory. Should Tua be ruled out – which feels almost like a given at this point – backup Skylar Thompson is next in line to start for the ‘Phins.
Pressed into service on Thursday night, Thompson completed 8-of-14 passes for 80 yards and did not lead a single scoring drive. In his career, including one postseason game, Thompson has thrown for 834 yards, two touchdowns and five interceptions.
Of course, the most important thing right now is for Tua to prioritize his health in whatever way that looks like. As previously stated, he already has three *diagnosed* concussions, and he had one during his final season with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tua is already hearing the calls to retire from fans, media analysts, and even Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.
Only Tua can make this decision, but perhaps it might be time to reassess if continuing his NFL career is in his best long term interest.
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