The Miami Dolphins made the announcement that every fan has been waiting for: Tua Tagovailoa has cleared concussion protocols and will start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
There have been rumblings for two weeks now that Tua would be activated for this week's game, but Miami kept it quiet despite the fact everyone knew this was going to be the case. The Dolphins didn't have a lot of other options, and Tua was clearly healthy.
Earlier this week, Tua returned to practice and was already connecting with Tyreek Hill at practices. His return gives the Dolphins a chance to climb back into the playoff chase. If they succeed, it will be an incredible turnaround for a team that has played as poorly as they have. They are currently 1.5 games back of the seventh seed, but we are not even at the halfway point of the season yet.
On two occasions, Miami started the season 2-4 and made the playoffs—in 2008 and 2016. If they are going to do it again this year, they have to get things moving quickly.
Dolphins need to protect Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday and give him opportunities
There are natural concerns about how Tua will play when he returns, but the bigger question is if he will play better than he did in the first two weeks of the season when the Dolphins' offense couldn't generate drives against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills.
Without Tua on the field, the Dolphins' offense has been nonexistent. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle practically disappeared last week against the Indianapolis Colts despite being praised by Mike McDaniel for playing a good game without getting the ball in their hands. Using two of your best offensive players as decoys was not a plan, it was the Colts' defensive scheme that was the problem.
Now that Tua is back, McDaniel should get more of his playbook into the game. Tua can't, however, walk onto the field and just start slinging the ball to Hill and Waddle for no reason. They have to get open, and McDaniel needs to adjust his offense if they are taken out of the game.
With Tagovailoa back, there will be more chances to get the ball to those players, and that is important if they are going to win. Unlike the other Dolphins QBs who have played since he went down, Tua has a lot more trust in them and in himself.