At his media session today, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel asked if Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will return to play this year and if he will begin practicing this week.
McDaniel said: “I think they’ve continued to be positive. There is still information that he’s seeking this week. As far as timelines go, I know he’s not playing this week and I do expect to see him playing football in 2024, but where that is exactly, we’ll let the process continue since we still have time before you even could entertain anything. We’ll make sure that he’s diligent this week and assess after that.”
McDaniel went on to say; “I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is for me as a head coach, it’s absolutely imperative that I control the controllables. It was so fast from him getting hurt to immediately going into all right, what’s the best thing for you, Tua, where are you at in allowing the process to really not get ahead of it. So I didn’t really allow myself any sort of contemplation moments on whether he would or wouldn’t; I was so concerned where he was at in his career for his family and everything that is true to be his and trying to operate on a next man up mentality from that. It is exciting that I do think he’ll play football this year – I never went down that rabbit hole of rather he would or wouldn’t, just because I’ve learned through circumstance how that’s the wrong question to be asking. The right questions are completely 100% toward the human being and the player as a result.”
The news that Tua will return to the field this year is good news for a team that is looking to salvage their season after a very poor-looking 2-3 start.
Many expected Tua to return to the field this season, so this news from McDaniel isn’t surprising.
The big questions to be answered are: What week will Tua return, what is Miami’s record at that point, and will it matter much in terms of making a playoff run?
Many expect Tua to return against Arizona a week from Sunday, but that has yet to be confirmed.
If he does return vs. Arizona, Miami will be 2-4 at worst, and they could be 3-3 at best. At 2-4, it may be a tall order for Tua to right the ship, but at 3-3, if Tua can return to his 2023 form and play much better than he did before his injury, Miami could make a run.
While the upcoming schedule does include some difficult opponents, such as Buffalo, the LA Rams, and Houston, it also includes some very winnable games against the Raiders, Patriots, and Jets.
But for Miami to have any hope to turning around their season, Tua will have to play like a man who got a contract in the neighborhood of $250 million.
