Tua Tagovailoa‘s final two weeks of 2023 will not come without a bit of discomfort.
Tagovailoa was limited in practice Wednesday due to quadriceps and left thumb ailments, according to the day’s practice report.
Coach Mike McDaniel spoke prior to Wednesday’s session and made no mention of any health issues for Tagovailoa, who is on the injury report for just the second time in 2023. He’d previously landed on the report in Week 13 due to a right arm laceration sustained in Miami’s Black Friday win over the New York Jets.
These issues, while not major, are more concerning than the laceration. The left-handed Tagovailoa relies on his thumb to grip and throw the football, and the mobile quarterback will need all parts of his legs to be as healthy as possible to use his full abilities as the conductor of Miami’s offense.
The good news: Neither injury seems to be too serious, judging by his limited participation Wednesday.
Tagovailoa leads the NFL in passing yards with 4,214, owns a 26-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and helped the Dolphins clinch a playoff berth with their 22-20 win over Dallas in Week 16. With Buffalo still chasing Miami in the AFC East race with two weeks to go and a date with the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens set for this Sunday, there’s no time for Tagovailoa to rest. The Dolphins will hope he can heal up before this weekend’s showdown in Baltimore.
