Mike McDaniel confirms plan is for Tua Tagovailoa to start Week 7 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed that the Dolphins are planning to start quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tagovailoa suffered a scary head injury in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals which landed him in the league’s concussion protocol.

He missed the Dolphins’ losses in Week 5 against the New York Jets and Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Dolphins have used Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson to fill in for Tagovailoa while he was out of the lineup.

McDaniel believes that having Tagovailoa back under center will give the team a boost in Week 7. The Dolphins started the 2022 season 3-0, but they have since lost three straight games.

Tagovailoa has played well for the Dolphins this season, completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns. The team certainly looked better when he was able to start, as it hasn’t won a game since he was injured.

Last week against Minnesota, the Dolphins started Thompson, but he went down with an injury. The rookie seventh-round pick was replaced by Bridgewater, who had cleared concussion protocol prior to the game.

The lack of continuity at the quarterback position has certainly limited Miami’s ceiling offensively, as the team has put up just 17 and 16 points in the last two games.

Tagovailoa should give the team a much better chance to win against the Steelers, who picked up an upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6.

Pittsburgh enters this game with a 2-4 record, so the Dolphins are certainly hoping to pick up a win and get back over .500.

In three seasons in Miami, Tagovailoa has compiled a 16-9 record as a starter. He’s one of the most accurate passers in the game, completing 67.8 percent of his throws last season and 69.6 this season.

The Dolphins will likely return to their original depth chart at the quarterback position with Tagovailoa healthy, as Bridgewater will serve as the backup and Thompson (if healthy) will be the team’s third-string quarterback.