Dolphins rule out Tua Tagovailoa for Week 3 with broken ribs

Tua Tagovailoa's rib injury will keep him out of the Dolphins’ Week 3 game in Las Vegas, Brian Flores said Wednesday. Flores said additional testing revealed fractured ribs, Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com tweets. This marks a bit of a step up from Tua’s “day-to-day” assessment.

While the third-year Dolphins head coach stopped short of indicating Tagovailoa would need to be placed on IR, such a scenario would not be surprising. This represents another setback for the former top-five pick, who has yet to find his NFL footing.

Jacoby Brissett replaced Tagovailoa in the Dolphins’ 35-0 loss to the Bills and will start against the Raiders. The Dolphins signed Brissett to a one-year, $5M deal this offseason. Should this situation morph into a Tagovailoa IR stay, Brissett would have a reunion game in Week 4, when the Dolphins face the Colts. The Dolphins will match up against the Buccaneers in Week 5.

Entering the NFL after a severe hip injury ended his junior season early, Tagovailoa also missed a game due to a thumb injury as a rookie. The former Alabama superstar threw four passes before going down in Week 2.

This setback may intensify Deshaun Watson rumors, with the Dolphins being the team most closely connected to the Pro Bowl passer. Despite owner Stephen Ross' potential interest in acquiring the embattled Texans quarterback, the Dolphins have balked at the Texans’ steep asking price. Houston is believed to have turned down an offer including three first-round picks, seeking a haul including other high picks and/or established players as well. The Texans have made Watson a healthy scratch for their first two games.