Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to play again this season, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.
It was McDaniel’s first acknowledgment of Tagovailoa’s playing future since the Dolphins star suffered at least his third NFL concussion on Sept. 12.
Tagovailoa will spend the last of his four-week stint on injured reserve this week as the Dolphins travel to play the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday.
The earliest Tagovailoa can return is in Week 8, when the Dolphins host the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 27.
‘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 to see him playing football in 2024,’ McDaniel told reporters. ‘But where that is exactly, we’ll let that process continue since we still have time before he could even entertain anything.
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‘We’ll make sure he’s diligent this week and assess after that.’
The Dolphins are 2-3 this season, and 1-2 without Tagovailoa as starter. Miami has relied on backups Skyler Thompson, Tim Boyle and Tyler Huntley at quarterback during his absence.
Tagovailoa suffered his latest concussion after a head-first collision into Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a Thursday Night Football game to begin Week 2.
The hit caused Tagovailoa to display the ‘fencing’ response he also displayed during his first reported concussion during a Thursday game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29, 2022.
Tagovailoa also suffered a concussion during a Christmas Day game against the Green Bay Packers in 2022.
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