Report: Tua Tagovailoa “expected” back as Dolphins starter in 2023

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Publicly, the Dolphins won’t say anything about when or if quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be cleared to return from at least two and possibly three concussions in 2022. Privately, someone is talking.

ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, citing unnamed sources, reports that Tagovailoa is “expected” to be the team’s starting quarterback in 2023. Schefter adds that, should the Dolphins beat the Bills on Sunday, Tua could be cleared of concussion. protocol to play next weekend in the divisional round, in what would have been a visit to Kansas City.

Before Tua can play, he must be cleansed. Three weeks after suffering his latest concussion, that hasn’t happened. And, at the risk of being even more painful than usual, until it clears, it isn’t.

The biggest question is whether Tua will continue to have head injuries. Every one in 2022 (whether two of them or three) occurred when he hit his head on the ground after being tackled by a defender. And every time Tua suffers another concussion, it spills over beyond sports, with network morning shows and cable news outlets clamoring to cover the situation. If he is the starter in 2023, Tua will have to train aggressively to better protect himself.

The news comes as Tom Brady, who the Dolphins aggressively pursued (in violation of tampering rules) in 2020 and 2022, has been linked with the team. If Brady decides Miami becomes the best way to strike a work-life balance so he can stay close to his kids while still playing the sport he seems destined to continue playing as long as he’s physically able , owner Stephen Ross will tell him, “No. Thank you”?

And as for whether Tua will play next week, the Dolphins will have another question to answer. If they pull off the biggest upset in wild-card weekend history, would they ride rookie Skylar Thompson against the Chiefs? That ultimately depends on whether they win today because of the seventh round or in spite of it.

Still, it’s hard to imagine Thompson not having a positive role in overcoming a 13-point spread and having enough buzz to make the team seriously consider keeping the hot hand in place instead of returning Yours almost a full month. since he last played.

Finally, here’s something Schefter’s report doesn’t address, one way or the other. Will the Dolphins pick up the fifth-year option on Tua’s rookie deal? The deadline is May 3. The salary for 2024 becomes automatically fully guaranteed. The report also does not address whether the Dolphins will attempt to extend Tua’s contract now that he is eligible for a second deal.

His performance improved significantly under first-year coach Mike McDaniel; there is no question that. But the best quarterbacks don’t miss many or any games. Whether it’s a concussion, ribs or something else, the next challenge for Tua is figuring out how to avoid missing games so he can suit up and play, every weekend.