One day after Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel declined to give a definitive answer as to whether quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will practice this week, he confirmed that Tagovailoa will practice with the team on Wednesday.
McDaniel also seems to be optimistic regarding Tagovailoa’s chances of playing against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 27.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa will practice Wednesday and they are hopeful everything goes well for him to clear concussion protocol and play Sunday vs. Cardinals, per HC Mike McDaniel.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 21, 2024
The 26-year-old seemingly can’t make a return to the field soon enough, as Miami has stacked up losses since he’s been sidelined with a concussion. In light of the Dolphins’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 20, Miami owns a 1-3 record sans Tagovailoa this season.
The Dolphins’ lone win without their starting quarterback came against a subpar New England Patriots team on Oct. 6. The Patriots have a 1-6 record and might be the worst team in all of football right now.
Miami is also multiple games back of the Buffalo Bills — who sit atop their division with a 5-2 record — in the AFC East standings at the moment.
If he suits up against Arizona, Tagovailoa’s presence could prove to be a much-needed shot in the arm for the Dolphins’ offensive unit. Miami as a team has averaged just 179.5 passing yards per game thus far in the 2024 regular season, which is one of the worst marks in the league. Tagovailoa averaged 272 passing yards gained per game a season ago and threw for a career-high 4,624 yards in total.
There will perhaps be no bigger beneficiaries when Tagovailoa eventually makes his return than wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Both players have seen their productivity fall off a cliff after they each racked up 1,000-plus receiving yards during the 2023 regular season. In Miami’s loss to the Colts, they combined for just two receptions, and McDaniel expressed regret that Waddle and Hill weren’t very involved in the team’s offense.
It is to be hoped that Tagovailoa will not only start but play at a high level in the Dolphins’ Week 8 bout against the Cardinals.
