Questions swirled around Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa after he suffered yet another concussion in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills. His status for this season – as well as his career – was a hot topic.
The team placed Tagovailoa on IR and said they’d give him all the time he needed to make a decision about his future. Head coach Mike McDaniel cleared up the situation earlier this month when he told the media Tagovailoa would return at some point this season. That return appears on the horizon as McDaniel announced Monday he’s set to practice this week and perhaps play Sunday against the Cardinals.
"Our plan is (for Tagovailoa) to start practicing on Wednesday," McDaniel said. "The clearing doesn't come until after some of the activity, but we're obviously doing so in the hope of everything going well so that he can play Sunday. But that will be to be determined."
The Dolphins struggled mightily without him, going 1-3 with the likes of Tim Boyle, Tyler Huntley, and Skyler Thompson under center. Meanwhile, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle haven’t been able to get going. They’re arguably the top wide receiver duo in the NFL, yet they were nonfactors without Tagovailoa.
Hill had 14 catches for 140 yards and no touchdowns, while Waddle had 13 catches for 119 yards and zero TDs without Tagovailoa at the helm. Meanwhile, Hill had seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 with a healthy Tagovailoa, while Waddle caught five for 109 yards.
The Dolphins are 2-4 on the year but have plenty of time left to turn their fortunes around. Records can be misleading, but eight of their remaining 11 games are against teams with losing ones. BetMGM has Miami +250 to make the playoffs and -300 to miss while setting their win total at 7.5. The over comes with a -120 vig while the under is +100.
