Although Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won’t play the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday, he’s making a positive impact on the team.
Tagovailoa returned to the practice field this week for the first time since suffering a scary concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29. Tagovailoa is still working through the NFL’s updated concussion protocol.
Darrell Bevell, the Dolphins quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, is pleased with Tagovailoa’s response to his injury.
“He was great,” said Bevell. “He was outstanding. I mean, he’s chewing on the teeth. I think every time something is taken away from you, sometimes there’s a greater awareness of how much you value something, and I think Tua is going through that a bit.”
Tagovailoa’s particular eagerness to return to action makes sense given how well he was playing prior to his injury. He was close to leading the NFL in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, and the Dolphins’ offense averaged 27.6 points per game in Week 3.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel emphasized how important it is for the team to have Tagovailoa nearby.
“So that’s exciting for everyone because we really miss his personality,” McDaniel said. “He’s a guy we can count on, not to mention all his game and all that stuff.”
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TYREEK HILL: ‘ALWAYS FUN TO HAVE YOUR BROTHER BACK’
Tagovailoa won’t contribute to his numbers this week, but his energy on the practice field has impressed some of his teammates, including wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
“Well, just to have him back out there, his energy, his leadership,” Hill said. “The way he’s able to play this game all the time man is amazing in itself. So it’s always fun to have your brother back on the field. I look forward to having him whenever he’s back but it’s nice to see him healthy.”
Another player who should be excited about Tagovailoa’s return this week is Miami expected starting quarterback Skylar Thompson.
Thompson will make his first career start on Sunday, so having Tagovailoa and backup Teddy Bridgewater around to help him out this week is a huge benefit.
Thompson, who Miami drafted in the seventh round this season, suffered Miami’s loss to the New York Jets when Bridgewater left the game after one game and was put on the record with a concussion.
That left Thompson as the only quarterback on the Miami touchline, which Bevell is glad that won’t be the case this week.
“It was busy last week and the two veterans weren’t there and then the next guy – even Reid (Sinnett) wasn’t dressed; he was on the sidelines,” Bevell said. “So I felt a little bit more of an urgency to stay with him, to communicate even more and just try to be the veteran presence that he was going to need. In a week like this I can still give him the info, but when I walk away I don’t have to worry about what’s on his mind because you have these two veterans who can stand there with him and give you him some of the insights they have.”
It’s still unclear when Tagovailoa will officially return to the lineup, but McDaniel is just focused on taking his recovery step by step.
“I’m just excited to get him out on the football field and see – there’s some progress we need to make in terms of ‘hey, he needs to throw a pass,'” McDaniel said Wednesday morning. “As for his exact timeline of when he’ll be playing, I’ll be happy to take that into account whenever this comes up. Right now I’m just really focused on him getting out there and feeling good and being with his teammates and those kinds of decisions aren’t in the immediate future right now.
In the meantime, Tagovailoa just needs to keep making an impression as a leader.