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How long will Tua Tagovailoa be out for? Why Dolphins QB doesn't play “MNF.”

Posted on by Vanessa
How long will Tua Tagovailoa be out for? Why Dolphins QB doesn't play “MNF.”

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Tua Tagovailoa accomplished something in the 2023 NFL season that few would have imagined: He managed to stay healthy all year long and helped the Miami Dolphins make their second straight playoff appearance.

That injury luck didn’t follow him into the 2024 NFL season.

Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in Miami's 31-10 loss in Week 2 to the Buffalo Bills. He was fighting for distance when he collided with Bills safety Damar Hamlin and appeared to be immediately injured as he fell to the ground.

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The concussion was the fourth known concussion for Tagovailoa at the NFL level and raises questions about whether he should continue playing given his injury issues. His future in Miami remains unclear, although the 26-year-old has expressed that he would like to continue playing football.

Here's what to know about Tagovailoa's injury status on Monday Night Football in Week 4 and a timeline for his possible return to the Dolphins.

Is Tua Tagovailoa playing tonight?

Tagovailoa will not participate in the Dolphins' Week 4 game against the Tennessee Titans on “Monday Night Football.” The fifth-year quarterback suffered a concussion in Week 2 and was placed on IR due to the injury.

Skylar Thompson started in place of Tagovailoa during the Dolphins' 24-3 loss in Week 3 to the Seattle Seahawks. He suffered a rib injury during that contest and was forced to leave, so Miami may have to rely on one of its recent signings – Tim Boyle and Tyler Huntley – to start against the Titans.

How long will Tua Tagovailoa be out for?

Tagovailoa will miss at least Week 7 as he was placed on IR prior to Week 3 and will miss at least four games due to that designation. The Dolphins have a bye in Week 6, so the earliest Tagovailoa could return to action is Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.

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Mike McDaniel acknowledged that the decision to place Tagovailoa on IR was made to avoid creating pressure to make a hasty decision on the oft-injured quarterback's status.

“The great thing about IR is there are no schedules for a month,” McDaniel said before Week 3, according to ESPN. “I always say this, but I'm not sure people really understand it: If you set a schedule based on the information you have today, how much of what happens then fulfills the prophecy of that schedule ? And is that the right thing to do?” “Especially with competitors and such, sometimes you can do more harm than good.

“Worrying about anything when it comes to the schedule is very helpful for him as a human being to recover from an injury and that's the only motivating factor you have when you're dealing with players, their careers and their injuries.”

With that in mind, it doesn't look like the Dolphins will be releasing a concrete update on Tagovailoa's possible return any time soon. So even though he's eligible to return in Week 8, it seems more likely that the team will evaluate him week-to-week.

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