Have the Miami Dolphins already seen the last of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this season? That seems to be the question after Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion last Thursday in a Dolphins blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, we may have seen the last of Tagovailoa in the NFL in 2024.
"After Tua Tagovailoa's third official concussion (four, if we include the concussion in back-injury's clothing), there's none of the usual urgency to check the boxes so that he can play again. Instead, he has landed on injured reserve due to a concussion, for the second time in less than two years," Florio wrote. "When has anyone else been placed on IR with a concussion? If it has happened at all, it hasn't happened many times.
"This isn't about whether he'll ever play again. Those are decisions that doctors and Tua will have to make. This is about whether we'll see him again this year."
There are plenty of people within the NFL community suggesting that Tagovailoa should retire after this latest blow. He has said nothing about any of it, nor should he at this point. All anyone wants for him is a return to good health. Life decisions can wait.
"We know he'll miss at least four games. Once Week 7 comes and goes, will he be ready to step into a crucible that quite possibly will lead to another concussion? What if he gets another one this season?" Florio wrote. "No, this is very different from the usual situation, where a concussion becomes a speed bump. Tua's latest concussion feels like something far bigger than that."