Tua Tagovailoa injury update: Will Dolphins QB play in Week 18 against Jets?
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has had an indifferent season. After starting the year off in superb fashion, Miami has fallen apart at the seams, and Tagovailoa has had his own issues to deal with.
The concussions suffered throughout the year (we count three) have been horrible to witness, and with all the talk surrounding player health, his status for Week 18 is crucial.
What are the current Super Bowl odds?
So, what will Mike McDaniel do with his franchise quarterback as Miami is on the outside looking in and needs to beat the New York Jets and hope the Buffalo Bills defeat the New England Patriots?
According to several reports, Tagovailoa is not certain to suit up against the Jets. In fact, he likely will not as the team will surely play the cautious game with their quarterback.
Tua is still in concussion protocol after the hit to the back of the head he sustained in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers.
Should Miami risk Tagovailoa at all this season?
For many, this seems like a no-brainer and it takes on a similar feel to Damar Hamlin (two different circumstances, of course). The health and well-being of Tagovailoa should take precendence over anything.
Yes, he should sit out the Week 18 game vs. the Jets and in truth, the rest of the postseason as well. In the wake of his third concussion, there were even calls for the quarterback to retire from the sport.
A bit rash? Not at all. Given Tua is still a young man and has the rest of his life to live, playing football again could possibly hinder that. While the NFL has all the protocols, medical personnel, safety gear, etc., football is still a collision sport.
There will likely never be a time where collisions are taken out of the game. With CTE also in the public eye for the last few years, while Tua might not suffer the effects of his concussions now, later he might. Who knows what could happen should he get another concussion.
So the Dolphins should at a minimum sit Tua for the season and then make a decision with the player about what to do moving forward.