The last thing any team would want is an early-season injury to their starting quarterback. On Thursday night, the Miami Dolphins experienced a major injury scare after QB1 Tua Tagovailoa suffered a scary-looking head injury after being on the receiving end of a hard hit from Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
With the Dolphins down by 21 in the third quarter, Tagovailoa had to make a desperation play at 4th and 4 to keep the drive alive. Alas, it came at a huge personal cost, and he immediately exited the game as a result. He was later ruled out of the game completely due to a concussion — an injury that Tagovailoa has a considerable history with.
The Dolphins bench held their collective breath; there is major concern surrounding this latest concussion that Tagovailoa suffered since he has taken plenty of hits to the head throughout his time in the NFL. Head coach Mike McDaniel could only wish upon the stars that his QB1 will recover quickly and take no long-term damage from this hit, kissing Tagovailoa on the head before he headed towards the locker room to end his night on the gridiron for good.
Some things are simply bigger than winning or losing in professional sports, and the well-being of an upstanding man such as Tagovailoa is the number one priority at the moment for the Dolphins. McDaniel certainly shares this sentiment, as all he is looking out for now is what's best for the 26-year-old quarterback moving forward.
“I was just worried about my guy. Not something that you ever want to be a part of,” McDaniel said following the Dolphins' 31-10 loss to the Bills on Thursday night, per Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.
Skylar Thompson came in and finished the rest of the game for the Dolphins. He could be in line for another start next week, as Tagovailoa's history of head injuries means that the Dolphins, more likely than not, will be extra careful in bringing him back to the field.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has a concerning concussion history
The only silver lining of Tua Tagovailoa's latest concussion is that he was able to walk off the field under his own power. But the Dolphins quarterback has been through the head injury blender, which should raise major concerns regarding his long-term viability in the NFL.
The 2022-23 season was an especially brutal one for Tagovailoa and the Dolphins. Back in September 2022, Tagovailoa suffered a nasty hit in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals that rendered him unable to get off the ground on his own volition. He had to be stretchered off the field, and he proceeded to miss the next two game weeks — which may not have been enough considering he had already sustained a head injury in the prior contest against the Bills.
That game was infamous for being the one where Tagovailoa had to exit the game in the first half due to a potential concussion, but he was cleared to return to the field in the second half despite not being 100 percent.
And then on Christmas Day 2022, Tagovailoa suffered another concussion in a loss to the Green Bay Packers, which then kept him out for the rest of the season — including the Dolphins' loss to the Bills in the 2023 Wild Card round.
The 2023-24 campaign was a healthy one for Tagovailoa; he played in all 17 regular-season games, as well as in their playoff defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs. But the way Tagovailoa began the 2024 season should be a major cause for concern moving forward.