Tua Tagovailoa stood on the unseasonably warm weather sidelines in Cleveland on Sunday, handing out high-fives to his teammates. He might be doing the same thing next week.
Following the Miami Dolphins' win over the Cleveland Browns, Mike McDaniel needed to answer more than a couple of questions about his starting quarterback. The revelation? It may not be what fans want to hear.
If there is good news, McDaniel doesn't believe Tagovailoa will need surgery on the hip that was originally called "not major." Now, needing one final win and some extra help, the Dolphins could be playing the New York Jets with Tyler Huntley behind center.
McDaniel told the media that it is too soon to speculate on whether or not Tua will be ready to play next week. The Dolphins' coach said he was an absolute game-time decision this week, and it could be the same case next week in New York.
Dolphins unsure if Tua Tagovailoa can return in Week 18 vs. Jets
Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel tells reporters it’s too early to say if Tua Tagovailoa can play Sunday vs. Jets with hip injury but surgery is not on the table right now.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) December 30, 2024
As far as Tua today, McDaniel said: “From a medical standpoint, it was not an option for him to play.”
By the sounds of it, Tua won't practice much this upcoming week. McDaniel said the biggest issue is keeping him safe and not aggravating the injury more.
McDaniel said there was no medical option for Tagovailoa to play this week. That has brought more criticism toward the Dolphins' training staff, who have been called out before for being over-reactive to players' injuries. Tua was put on IR earlier in the year for a concussion and missed four games, but he would later tell the media he had zero symptoms from the hit as early as the following day. What might have happened with the season had Tua cleared protocols before the four games were up?
For the week ahead, it will likely be one with Tagovailoa listed as questionable on the injury report. Miami is not going to practice him much so they can prepare Huntley for the starting role should Tua not be able to play.