The Miami Dolphins are placing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in a loss to the Buffalo Bills, league sources confirmed Tuesday.
Tagovailoa will miss at least the next four games and be out until at minimum the Dolphins’ Week 8 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. Miami has a bye week in Week 6. The quarterback is currently in the league’s concussion protocol.
The Dolphins are still seeking further information about Tagovailoa, who sustained his third diagnosed concussion in three years Thursday, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday.
Tagovailoa, 26, suffered the injury when he collided head-first with Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s chest while trying to rush for a first down. He was quickly ruled out of the game after appearing dazed on the ground following the play.
He previously missed extensive time with multiple head injuries in 2022. The first appeared to occur in Week 3 against Buffalo, and Tagovailoa was allowed to return later in the game. Days later, he was cleared to play against the Cincinnati Bengals and was stretchered off the field after demonstrating a fencing response following a sack.
A fencing response is an immediate posturing of the limbs, which can occur in individuals who sustain a traumatic brain injury, according to the National Institute of Health.
He later suffered another concussion on Christmas Day which essentially ended his 2022 season.
There’s been much discussion about Tagovailoa’s future following this latest concussion but McDaniel said Monday he would let “Tua speak on Tua’s career” when asked if the quarterback intended to continue playing.
On Monday, the Dolphins signed quarterback Tyler Huntley off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad to boost the team’s depth in Tagovailoa’s absence.
McDaniel told reporters that Huntley, who spent much of the preseason with the Cleveland Browns, will be expected to back up Skylar Thompson, who is expected to start Miami’s Week 3 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
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