Report: Miami Dolphins ‘won’t force’ Tua Tagovailoa to play through thumb injury

The Miami Dolphins are prepared to keep rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the bench if the thumb injury he suffered earlier this week causes problems during Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.

Tagovailoa reportedly suffered the injury earlier this week, with Dolphins head coach Brian Flores not expressing a great deal of concern about the issue on Thursday.

However, the Dolphins are prepared to use veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, if necessary. The current concern mirrors the Dolphins’ earlier efforts to protect Tagovailoa as he sought to return from major hip surgery last year.

Fitzpatrick replaced Tagovailoa during last Sunday’s loss against the Denver Broncos after the rookie struggled throughout the contest to get the Dolphins’ offense moving.

Still, Tagovailoa has largely had success since taking over the starting job from Fitzpatrick in the Nov. 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams.

In his four starts, Tagovailoa has thrown six touchdown passes and has yet to throw an interception among his 97 pass attempts.

The possibility of risking a more serious injury to Tagovailoa could cause problems for the future of the franchise. Considering that Sunday’s game is against the winless Jets, Flores figures to take the safest course of action to keep his rookie quarterback healthy.