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Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN
MIAMI — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is not going to play Sunday in opposition to the Minnesota Vikings, trainer Mike McDaniel stated Wednesday, however he’ll go back to the observe box for soccer actions for the primary time in just about two weeks.
Rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson will make his first occupation start Sunday with each Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater in concussion protocol. The Dolphins’ most effective different wholesome quarterback is observe squad quarterback Reid Sinnett; McDaniel stated it’s too early to inform whether or not they are going to have to lift him for Sunday’s sport.
Tagovailoa was once cleared through a couple of unbiased neurologists to resume restricted soccer actions, McDaniel stated, which might put him in Phase 3 of the NFL’s go back to participation protocol. It might be Tagovailoa’s first observe since maintaining a concussion in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29.
“In these situations, you are relying on all medical advice and what people can do and what we’ve been told is he can go out and throw and do some individual work this week,” McDaniel stated. “So that’s exciting for everybody just because, you know, really we just miss his personality. He’s a guy that we rely on that, not to mention all of his play and all that stuff.
“Now, when speaking about this week and enjoying, I do not see a state of affairs — I do not see him being lively. I don’t plan to have him play in any respect.”
There is a “particular state of affairs” in which Tagovailoa clears concussion protocol this week but McDaniel said it would be a disservice to both Tagovailoa and the team if he were to play him Sunday.
“He hasn’t finished a factor at the soccer box for actually two weeks,” McDaniel said. “So, I don’t believe that that may be truthful to the participant. That would not be truthful to the crew … I do not really feel relaxed placing him in that state of affairs.”
Tagovailoa was briefly hospitalized after hitting his head on the turf during the Bengals game, which occurred four days after hitting his head in similar fashion and stumbling on his way back to the huddle against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 25. He was evaluated for a concussion during halftime of the Bills game but returned to the game after it was determined a previously reported back injury caused the stumble.
The NFL Players Association triggered a review of the league’s concussion protocol following Tagovailoa’s quick return to the game and ultimately exercised its right to fire the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who performed his initial concussion evaluation. The NFLPA deemed the UNC made “a number of errors” during the process, multiple sources told ESPN, including not examining his back during the initial concussion examination.
The NFL and NFLPA agreed on an amended concussion protocol this past weekend that included “ataxia” as a “no-go” symptom — which would require any player who displays ataxia, defined as “abnormality of steadiness/steadiness, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech brought about through a neurological factor,” to be removed from a game and prohibited from returning.
The Dolphins were the first team to experience the amended protocol last Sunday in a 40-17 loss to the New York Jets when Bridgewater, starting in place of Tagovailoa, was removed from the game after a hard hit on Miami’s first offensive play. A booth ATC spotter believed he saw Bridgewater display ataxia after the hit and he was immediately placed in concussion protocol. He was not diagnosed with a concussion and did not show any symptoms during his initial or follow-up examinations.
Bridgewater has not yet resumed football activities as of Wednesday, McDaniel said, but will do so during Thursday’s practice. Even if he clears concussion protocol by Sunday’s game, however, the Dolphins are moving forward with Thompson as their starter.
The 2022 seventh-round pick completed 16-of-33 passes for 166 yards and an interception in relief of Bridgewater against the Jets. He also lost a critical fumble in the fourth-quarter that set up the Jets’ game-sealing touchdown.
McDaniel said he’s confident in the rookie’s ability to improve after getting a starter’s workload at practice throughout the week. At minimum, he said Thompson should feel more comfortable just having another quarterback on the sideline with him, unlike his debut last week.
“It’s massive as a result of in a sport enjoy for a quarterback, you get coached, there may be a large number of stuff happening and you take in data from one, two, 3 voices,” McDaniel said. “But then when you’ve got a peer that has long gone via it and has noticed it, that translation — it could be one phrase, it could be a pat at the again. All that teammate improve is an overly immensely massive factor for a participant like that … Having that improve from his brother at the sidelines this week. Because it was once a lonely sideline remaining week.
“All Skylar had to talk to was (Dolphins quarterbacks coach Darrell) Bevel and myself and we’re great guys, but not that great of conversations.”