Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will return to practice Wednesday and the team is hopeful he will play in the Week 8 game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.
McDaniel said the team has taken Tagovailoa off the injured list after he missed four games due to a concussion. He will practice with the team, but he will still need to clear the league’s concussion protocol before he can play on Sunday.
“Our plan is to start him practicing on Wednesday,” McDaniel told reporters on Monday. “The clearing (of the league’s concussion protocol) doesn’t come until after some of the activity, but we’re doing so in the hope of everything going well so that he can play Sunday. But that is to be determined.”
Tagovailoa is expected to practice for the first time since he suffered a concussion during the Dolphins’ 31-10 Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 12. Tagovailoa’s latest concussion was his third diagnosed concussion in two years and renewed calls for him to retire to protect his health.
During his time on injured reserve, Tagovailoa reportedly visited with multiple concussion specialists and neurosurgeons, and decided to continue his NFL career.
“I’ve been symptom-free since the next day [after the concussion],” Tagovailoa told reporters on Monday.
Tagovailoa said he didn’t “pay any attention” to the talk about him retiring and indicated he was determined to return.
“No one’s advice had affected anything that I thought in terms of returning,” Tagovailoa told reporters. “So no one had an effect on it.”
Tagovailoa, 26, said he will not wear a Guardian Cap when he returns to action, calling it a “personal choice.” A Guardian Cap is placed over a player’s helmet as additional protection from head injuries. The league has permitted players to wear the cap this year.
Tagovailoa’s latest concussion occurred after he initiated contact at the end of a scramble during the game. Instead of sliding feet-first, Tagovailoa collided head-first with safety Damar Hamlin and the force of the collision knocked him backward with his head bouncing off the turf.
Tagovailoa said he needs to play “smarter” and protect himself in the future.
“It’s got to be smart. That’s it,” Tagovailoa told reporters. ” My entire time playing football, I’ve been a competitor and that is or was sort of my edge when I would run … This is the professional level, the best of the best. You know, you just can’t be doing that. So definitely got to stay more available for the team, for the organization, for our guys.”
Tagovailoa’s “guys” have struggled without him, posting a 1-3 record in the four games that he missed and the Dolphins are 2-4 overall. Tagovailoa said it’s been frustrating watching the team struggle and he’s anxious to get back on the field, even though he knows the risks.
“How much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work, get into a car crash maybe, I don’t know. Everything I think takes risk,” Tagovailoa told reporters. “So to answer that question, every time we all suit up we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything. You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There’s just risk in any and everything. And I’m willing to play the odds.”
