Tua Tagovailoa is eyeing a Week 8 start as the Miami Dolphins plan to open the quarterback’s practice window on Wednesday. Tagovailoa suffered a concussion — his third documented one — in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills and was placed on injured reserve.
There was a lot of chatter about whether Tagovailoa would return to football or retire, but he made it clear on Monday that he loves the game of football and is willing to take the risks associated with the sport.
“How much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to go drive to work, get into a car crash maybe? I don’t know. Everything, I think, takes risk. So to answer that question, every time we all suit up we’re all taking a risk that we could potentially get hurt whether it’s a concussion, a broken bone, anything,” Tagovailoa told reporters on Monday. “You get up off of the bed the wrong way, you potentially could risk you spraining your ankle. There’s just risk in any and everything. And I’m willing to play the odds.”
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Tagovailoa said he had some discussions with his wife about returning, but that “no one’s advice had affected anything that I thought in terms of returning.”
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said medical experts deemed it safe for Tagovailoa to return to game action and that’s why he’s going to continue to play. Despite suffering three concussions — two in 2022 —Tagovailoa won’t wear the guardian cap that would provide extra protection for his head — calling it a “personal choice” to continue with the standard helmet.
Tagovailoa knows the risks that come with playing a physical, contact sport and he’s willing to take those risks to continue his NFL career.
The Dolphins have dealt with quarterback and offense issues in Tagovailoa’s absence. They’ve gone 0-3 and have averaged just 10 points-per-game.
