Mike McDaniel puts everything in perspective with emotional Tua Tagovailoa update

Tua Tagovailoa's injury will undoubtedly have an impact on the Miami Dolphins' season, but head coach Mike McDaniel put everything into perspective when he met with the media on Friday morning.

Yes, the Dolphins have to determine what's next at quarterback, a plan that is already underway, but McDaniel put the human side of football front and center. It was a scary moment when Tua went down against the Buffalo Bills and a sobering reminder that this isn't fantasy football. Players are real people.

"All I'm telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad this weekend, and we'll move from there," McDaniel said on Friday.

It was evidently tough for McDaniel to talk about. He has a close relationship with Tagovailoa, and he put everything into perspective.

Everything Mike McDaniel said about Tua Tagovailoa with latest update

McDaniel touched on football questions briefly, giving confidence in backup Skylar Thompson while adding that the Dolphins will add a veteran to the room. Understandably, he didn't want to discuss Tua's future or any timeline for a potential return.

"It would be so wrong of me to even sniff that subject, and it's more in line of actually caring about the human being. His career is his," said McDaniel. "I just wish people would, for a second, hear what I'm saying. Bringing up his future is not in the best interest of him. I'm going to plead with everybody that does genuinely care—that should be the last thing on your mind."

McDaniel said Tua is "assessing nothing to football right now," which is absolutely the right decision. McDaniel truly cares about his players, which is evident with every interaction and comment he makes publicly. He wants Tagovailoa to focus on his health and nothing else.

"Your heart is involved. The way I look at it, Tua is a family member of mine," said McDaniel. "When family is going through it, you know how it is, but you're trying to think about a ton of different stuff people are counting on me to think about. It's not easy."

Tua has received an outpouring of support from around the league. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen gave a classy response in his postgame interview, while Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes showed his support on social media.

Clearly, McDaniel and the Dolphins must figure out what's next at quarterback. Right now, it's Skylar Thompson, who backed up Tagovailoa on Thursday Night Football.

But McDaniel's press conference put everything into perspective. We care about the Dolphins, but it's only football. The number one priority for Tua is to get healthy without having to worry about what comes next on the field.

More Dolphins news and analysis