Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel provides update on Tua Tagovailoa’s health amid longevity concerns
Tua Tagovailoa will return to football in 2023. The Miami Dolphins quarterback was out for the final two games of last season and the playoffs due to multiple concussions, the final being against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16. Skyler Thompson started for Miami during the playoffs.
Although multiple concussions are a scary sight for any NFL player, it seems that Tagovailoa's career should progress without any concerns in the near future. He's expected to be back for the Dolphins in 2023, and the team has even picked his fifth-year option, meaning that Miami trusts him in the long term.
During the NFL owners' meetings in Phoenix, Arizona, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was asked about his quarterback's health. His answer was as clear as daylight:
“All the best things that you can possibly hear, his is not something that, for a lot of people, it happened and then you’re all of a sudden thinking about it as the OTAs start again. This is something that our training staff and Tua have been attacking every day. He’s in a great spot.
"I’m really encouraged by the work that he’s doing for preventative injuries with his core and his neck training, his jiu-jitsu stuff has been outstanding. Doing all the things that we can control to best position us. He’s in a great place because of that.”
How many concussions did Tua Tagovailoa suffer in 2022?
In only his third season in the NFL, Tua Tagovailoa's injury history is lengthy. Officially, he suffered two concussions during 2022, but most people think he suffered three.
During the Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills, he suffered a hit that left him wobbly, but the team later dismissed it as a back issue. However, Miami played just four days later and Tagovailoa suffered a hit to the head that left NFL fans scared. He was knocked out cold and went into a fencing response before being removed from the game. He then missed the next two games.
Tua suffered his second (or third) concussion of the year in a game against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day. He failed to return for the 2022 season and the Miami Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention following a wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills.