Tua Tagovailoa‘s latest concussion will sideline him until at least Week 8.
The Miami Dolphins are placing Tagovailoa on injured reserve, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Tuesday.
The Dolphins later officially announced the move.
Tagovailoa will miss at least the next four games before he’s eligible to return, per NFL rules. Miami has its bye in Week 6, so the earliest Tagovailoa could return is the Dolphins Week 8 game against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 27.
Rapoport and Garafolo added that the decision was made to give Tagovailoa ample time to progress through the stages of league’s concussion protocol and meet with outside neurologists.
Tagovailoa suffered a concussion while running for a first down and colliding with Bills safety Damar Hamlin in the second half of Miami’s Week 2 loss to Buffalo on Sept 12. The impact left him dazed on the ground before he was helped off the field and instantly concerned the football world, as Tagovailoa has a history of concussions in his NFL career.
He missed a total of five games in 2022 because of two diagnosed concussions — including one which required a stretcher to remove him from the field in Cincinnati — and was shut down for the season after suffering his second concussion of the campaign in a Christmas Day game against the Green Bay Packers, missing Miami’s playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
Tagovailoa’s 2023 season was considered a great success, not only because he led the NFL in passing yards, but also because he managed to start in every game and avoid injury for the first time in his career. Miami rewarded Tagovailoa in the offseason, with the two sides agreeing to a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension in late July.
The Week 2 collision once again threw his future into question, but the quarterback currently has no plans to retire, Rapoport reported Sunday.
The Dolphins signed veteran quarterback Tyler Huntleyoff the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad on Monday to add depth to their QB room with Tagovailoa out for an undetermined amount of time. Backup Skylar Thompsonis in line to start Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Miami on Tuesday also released veteran wide receiver Robbie Chosen from their practice squad and signed offensive lineman Jackson Carman.
