Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed the team’s Week 5 loss to the New York Jets as he is still recovering from the scary hit he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals.
While Tagovailoa recently returned to practice for the Dolphins, he still hasn’t cleared concussion protocol.
Although Tagovailoa won’t be play against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport recently said that he thinks there’s a “realistic chance” Tagovailoa plays next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"I think there's a realistic chance that Tua Tagovailoa plays next week" ~@RapSheet#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/rGN4yCl6Wb
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 13, 2022
The Dolphins would surely love if Tagovailoa were able to suit up against the Steelers, but they are taking things slow with the third-year signal-caller.
Miami has been criticized heavily since the University of Alabama product took that hit against the Bengals. Many believed Tagovailoa shouldn’t have been playing at all after wobbling right after he took a hit in the previous game against the Buffalo Bills.
Some have even stated that Tagovailoa should retire from the NFL altogether. That doesn’t seem to be in his plans, however.
Prior to exiting the game against the Bengals, Tagovailoa was enjoying a very good start to the season. During the 2022 campaign, he’s completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 1,035 yards, eight touchdowns and just three interceptions.
He even led the Dolphins to an epic comeback victory against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 with many deep throws. Critics have stated that Tagovailoa doesn’t have enough arm strength to succeed in the league.
Tua with an absolute 🚀 to @cheetah pic.twitter.com/vQ9JPgMo6w
— Dolphin Nation (@Dolphin_Nation) September 18, 2022
Looking ahead to Sunday
Miami is set to host the Vikings this coming Sunday. On Wednesday, head coach Mike McDaniel announced that rookie third-stringer Skylar Thompson will start for the team in the game.
Teddy Bridgewater, who is also in concussion protocol, could be Thompson’s backup for the contest. Having Bridgewater as insurance for Sunday would be great.
If #Dolphins QB Teddy Bridgewater is cleared in concussion protocol by end of the week, he will backup QB Skyler Thompson, coach Mike McDaniel says.
— Safid Deen 💯💯💯💯 (@Safid_Deen) October 12, 2022
Sunday will be Thompson’s first regular season start in the NFL. He had some nice moments in the preseason and against the Jets, so he definitely has the skill needed to lead Miami to victory.
Skylar Thompson finds Hill for the first down pic.twitter.com/gEvdP1OzSJ
— FinCuts (@FinCuts) October 9, 2022
Miami is currently 3-2 on the season after starting out 3-0. Despite dropping a bit in the standings over the last two weeks, the Dolphins are still in a playoff spot.
They’ll hope to solidify that positioning with a win on Sunday against the 4-1 Vikings.
