In an unsurprising decision, the Miami Dolphins have ruled out quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for Week 5 against the New York Jets, per Ian Rapoport. Miami faced scrutiny last week for playing Tagovailoa amid head injury concerns. In what ended up being an extremely messy situation leading to another injury, there was never a realistic chance that Tua Tagovailoa was going to suit up in Week 5.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel officially announced Tua's inactive status on Monday. However, his timetable is still unclear. Tagovailoa is currently in concussion protocol. After everything that has occurred, the Dolphins are going to be very careful in determining his return date.
The Tua Tagovailoa situation led the NFL to fire an Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant. The consultant agreed to let Tagovailoa return in Week 3 against Buffalo which was the first mistake in this event. But the fact that the Dolphins allowed Tua Tagovailoa to take the field in Week 4 just days after suffering an apparent injury in Week 3 raised eyebrows as well.
Head coach Mike McDaniel previously issued an explanation for Tagovailoa's active Week 4 status.
“I have 100 percent conviction in our process regarding our players,” McDaniel said. “This is a player-friendly organization. … There was no medical indication from all resources there was anything regarding the head.”
The Dolphins dropped their first game of the season in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals after Tua Tagovailoa was forced to leave the game. Teddy Bridgewater, who finished that contest for Miami, is the expected starter for Week 5 against the Jets.
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