Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa on injury concerns amid return to practice: 'I love football to the death of me'

Wednesday marked the archetypal clip successful much than a period Tua Tagovailoa was capable to enactment successful a Miami Dolphins practice. He sat retired the past 4 games arsenic helium recovered from his latest concussion.

Tagovailoa inactive needs to advancement done the last stages of the NFL's concussion protocol successful bid to play Sunday's crippled against the Arizona Cardinals. But returning to the signifier tract gets him 1 measurement person to being capable to vie successful a game.

"I consciousness precise bully astir however helium attacked this full process and however helium came retired of it to this day," Dolphins manager Mike McDaniel said earlier Wednesday’s practice. "And you anticipation for a mates days of bully enactment truthful past you person nary blips and you’re cleared to play."

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Miami Dolphins backmost Tua Tagovailoa talks connected the sidelines during the 2nd fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Tennessee Titans, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, successful Miami Gardens, Fla.  (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Tagovailoa has met with galore aesculapian experts who specialize successful encephalon and caput injuries since being diagnosed with the third concussion of his NFL vocation connected Sept. 12. The experts deemed it harmless for him to instrumentality to football, McDaniel said Monday.

Tagovailoa said helium would not deterioration a Guardian Cap, the protective soft-shell helmet screen that is optional for players to deterioration successful games. He described the determination arsenic a "personal choice." He already wears a quarterback-specific helmet designed to assistance trim caput injuries.

Tagovailoa acknowledged immoderate of the concerns of him perchance suffering different wounded connected the shot field. "I admit your concern," Tagovailoa told reporters. "I truly do. I emotion this crippled and I emotion it to the decease of me. That’s it."

Miami Dolphins backmost Tua Tagovailoa (1) leaves the tract astatine the extremity of the archetypal fractional during an NFL shot crippled against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, successful Miami Gardens, Fla.  (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

He besides suggested that mundane beingness comes with immoderate level of liability. He besides made it wide that helium is alert of the inherent hazard that comes with playing successful the NFL.

 "How overmuch hazard bash we instrumentality erstwhile we get up successful the greeting to spell thrust to work? Can get successful a car crash," Tagovailoa said. "Every clip we each suit up, we’re each taking a hazard that we could perchance get hurt, whether it’s a concussion, a breached bone, thing you get up disconnected of the furniture the incorrect way, you perchance could hazard you spraining your ankle. There’s conscionable hazard successful immoderate and everything and I’m consenting to play the odds."

Tagovailoa was concussed doubly successful 2022 — the second of which concisely knocked him unconscious — and suffered a 3rd hard deed to the caput that was not diagnosed arsenic a concussion. 

Tagovailoa's Week 2 concussion came erstwhile helium initiated interaction with Buffalo Bills antiaircraft backmost Damar Hamlin by lowering his enarthrosis into Hamlin alternatively of sliding. His teammates said they person since stressed that helium should descent successful those situations successful the future.

"We tin accidental those things to him until we’re bluish successful the face," said moving backmost Raheem Mostert. "But 1 happening that I would say, there’s ever my saying ‘You tin bring a equine to water, but you can’t marque him drink.’ We’re going to bring Tua to that water, but we can’t marque him drink."

McDaniel added that erstwhile Tagovailoa does commencement backmost playing, making definite helium is doing everything imaginable to support himself volition beryllium of the utmost importance.

Miami Dolphins caput manager Mike McDaniel talks to backmost Tua Tagovailoa (1) arsenic helium leaves the crippled aft suffering a concussion during the 2nd fractional of an NFL shot crippled against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, successful Miami Gardens, Fla.  (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

"I deliberation helium has a amended knowing of his work towards the full enactment astatine this constituent … and feels tremendous work to bash thing successful his powerfulness to beryllium connected the field, truthful portion of that is protecting yourself," McDaniel said. "He has to beryllium capable to support himself, for him to careless of the archetypal down conversion that he’s trying to get, for him to beryllium connected the tract with his squad that helium needs to beryllium astute astir however helium engages successful contact."

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The Dolphins averaged much than 200 yards passing and 400 full yards per crippled with Tagovailoa past season. They were 2nd successful scoring with 29.2 points and led the league successful explosive plays of astatine slightest 10 yards.

Under Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle, Miami has not scored much than 15 points, and wide recievers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle person seen a important driblet successful their accumulation with Tagovailoa out, including a combined 19 yards connected 2 catches successful Sunday’s nonaccomplishment to the Indianapolis Colts.

McDaniel besides noted that Tagovailoa should not beryllium considered the "savior" of Miami’s offense.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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