Tua Tagovailoa clears concussion protocol, to start in Week 8

Tua Tagovailoa‘s anticipated Week 8 return is a go. The Dolphins quarterback has cleared concussion protocol and will start against the Cardinals on Sunday, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe reports. Mike McDaniel confirmed the clearance.

Miami will activate Tagovailoa from IR before Saturday afternoon’s deadline. While the QB’s concussion history will continue to generate scrutiny, Tua did not consider retirement after his latest head injury — sustained back in Week 2.

Consulting doctors across the country, Tagovailoa received good news regarding his NFL future. None of the doctors recommended he retire, McDaniel said. Following the NFL’s protocol, an independent neurologist cleared Tagovailoa after Miami’s Thursday practice. Tua will be back after missing the minimum of four games, though even that absence qualified as notable since teams generally do not place players on IR because of concussions.

Tagovailoa, 26, is a special case due to his high profile and past injuries. Tua sustained two confirmed concussions in 2022 and most likely suffered three, with a Week 3 injury that season leading to the NFL revamping its concussion protocol. The Miami QB returned to action in that Bills matchup but suffered a concussion against the Bengals four days later. That led to a two-game absence. Tua was concussed again during a Christmas Day game, so he missed the rest of the Dolphins’ season. Despite the left-handed passer returning in 2023 and not missing any time, his latest head injury has naturally brought tremendous concern about his future.

The Dolphins gave their top quarterback a four-year, $212.4M extension in July. This did not check in as a top-market deal, but it landed in the upper reaches of QB money. This came after a report indicating the Dolphins were not prepared to go into the Jared Goff–Trevor Lawrence range for Tua. His Week 2 scramble that led to a concussion brought calls for retirement, but with the fifth-year player now cleared, retirement would deny him access to the bulk of the mega-deal he recently signed.

In terms of the Dolphins’ 2024 prospects, this is massive news. After finishing second in scoring last season, McDaniel’s offense has plummeted to 32nd. The team has started Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley, with neither playing well and Tim Boyle — who failed to stick with the Texans in training camp after the Jets released him in-season last year — saw action as well. These QBs restrained Miami’s speed armada on offense as the team slunk to 2-4.

The Dolphins will need to heat up in a hurry to have a realistic chance of returning to the playoffs for a third straight season, but Tagovailoa will provide a fighting chance. He will not use a Guardian Cap upon returning, and Miami's protection of its centerpiece player will be a key storyline to monitor as he returns to action.