Miami Dolphins put concussed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve... as he continues to weigh up his NFL future (msn.com)
Miami Dolphins put concussed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve... as he continues to weigh up his NFL future
Story by Ben Nagle • 2hrs
Tua Tagovailoa has been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least the next four NFL games after suffering the third concussion of his NFL career.
Tagovailoa went down after running to get a first down and then diving head-first into Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
By placing him on injured reserve, the quarterback will be forced to miss the next four games before the team could activate him.
Skylar Thompson expected to start this coming Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
On Monday, the Dolphins picked up
Tyler 'Snoop' Huntley off the Ravens practice squad to fill in the gap left by the injured Tagovailoa.
More to follow.
With the recent concussion to Tagovailoa - his third concussion in three seasons - many are wondering if the Dolphins signal caller will consider hanging up his pads.
ESPN's Adam Schefter previously reported that Tagovailoa would meet with neurologists this week to begin the decision-making process over whether he would hang up his shoulder pads.
However, Sunday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Tagovailoa has no plans to retire. He’s already seeing concussion specialists and plans to continue to do so. There remains no timetable on his return.
Tagovailoa's agents did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for confirmation.
The southpaw was rocked by the third concussion of his career on Thursday night and DailyMail.com revealed on Friday that the Dolphins are considering shutting him down for the year to give him time to properly decide on his future.
Reports have indicated that the quarterback wants 'input into the severity of his latest concussion, and the cumulative effect of the ones he's suffered in the past.'
Tagovailoa was scrambling when he went head-first into Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin in the Week 2 defeat on Thursday.
After the hit, Tagovailoa's body went into the so-called 'fencing response' - an indicator of a severe brain injury.
He eventually was able to walk off the field under his own power, but was diagnosed with a concussion within six minutes of going back to the locker room. He's expected to miss significant playing time.
This is not the first time that Tagovailoa has suffered a brain injury on the playing field.
Back in the 2022 NFL season, he suffered from two separate concussions - taking an additional third hit to the head which ultimately led to major changes in the NFL's concussion protocol.
In his last year of college at the University of Alabama, Tagovailoa also suffered a concussion.
Leading health experts have advised the quarterback to consider retiring for the sake of his family and future health.
Friday morning, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was keen to quell talk of Tagovailoa's future: 'You're talking about his career - his career is his,' he said. 'I just wish that people would for a second hear what I'm saying, that bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him.
'So, I'm going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care that that should be the last thing on your mind.'