Report: Tua Tagovailoa in ‘really good place’ mentally ahead of return vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Tua Tagovailoa will be back on the field in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers after missing the Miami Dolphins’ past two games.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the 24-year-old quarterback has shown no setbacks or symptoms this week from the injury he sustained in the team’s matchup versus the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. He also added that Tagovailoa is in a “really good place” mentally.

“He is back,” said Rapoport. “He had a full week of practice with no setbacks, no symptoms, good to go. And my understanding is he’s also in a really good place mentally. Obviously, dealing what he dealt with can be tough for anyone. But he’s the same free and focused dude that he was beforehand.”

The report is certainly good news for the organization and its fans. Miami has been struggling on offense recently. In the past three weeks, it has averaged just 16 points per game. In contrast, the Dolphins recorded 27.7 points per match during the first three weeks of the 2022 campaign.

So far this season, Tagovailoa has completed 80 passes for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns. He has already has half as many passing touchdowns he recorded in the 2021 campaign.

It was unfortunate that the rising star had his momentum this season derailed because of injuries.

As fans may remember, the University of Alabama product took a hard hit to the head in the Dolphins’ Week 3 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Though he immediately got back up after the play, he was seen stumbling as he jogged toward the huddle.

While some people around the league thought that he should have been ruled out of the remainder of the contest due to a possible concussion, Tagovailoa returned to the field.

He even played in the following game and seemingly suffered a second concussion in just five days, drawing the ire of the NFL world.

Hopefully, the third-year quarterback performs at a high level on Sunday night. Miami will need him at full strength against the Steelers if it wants to snap a three-game losing skid.

What makes the Dolphins’ Week 7 game against the Steelers more interesting is that it marks the return of former head coach Brian Flores to South Florida.

Earlier this year, the organization fired him, and that was followed by the 41-year-old coach filing a lawsuit against the league and all of its teams for racial discrimination.

Flores, who now serves as Pittsburgh’s senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach, has already stated that he will not treat the contest as a revenge game.