In one play, everyone was reminded of the narrative surrounding Tua Tagovailoa through the 2023 offseason.
Tagovailoa suffered multiple concussions during the 2022 season, including a scary one on a Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He said he considered retirement after the season though ultimately decided to continue his football career. Tagovailoa’s long-term health was a talking point right up until last season started.
On Thursday night, he had another scary moment.
Tagovailoa ran for a first down on a fourth-and-4, and with the Dolphins trailing 31-10 he wasn’t sliding at the 4:36 mark of the third quarter. Tagovailoa put his head down and barreled into Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa stayed down after the hard hit. He tried to get up but couldn’t in the moment. He avoided those types of hits last season but the hit Thursday took him out of the game.
Tagovailoa eventually got up, limped off the field and was taken to the locker room. Skylar Thompson replaced him. The Bills eventually won, 31-10.
The Dolphins ruled Tagovailoa out shortly after and reported that he had a concussion. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said a timeline on when Tagovailoa might return was the “furthest thing from my mind.” He was asked what his reaction was seeing Tagovailoa get concussed again.
“My thought was concern,” McDaniel said. “Just worried about my guy. It’s not something you ever want to be a part of.”
In July, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract. The worries about Tagovailoa and his health weren’t forgotten, but they had faded deep into the background after he played in every game last season. After Thursday night, all of the worries about Tagovailoa and his health will be renewed.
Dolphins trailed big before Tua Tagovailoa knocked out of game
The Bills have owned the Dolphins since drafting Josh Allen and that didn’t change Thursday night. Buffalo got three touchdowns from James Cook, a defensive TD and cruised in the second half. They’re 2-0 to start the season.
Tagovailoa threw three interceptions, including a pick-6 that all but ended the game. Tagovailoa was under pressure and threw blindly on third down. It turned into an easy interception and touchdown return by Bills cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram. That made the score 31-10.
The night got a lot worse for the Dolphins with Tagovailoa’s head injury. Thompson expressed concern for his teammate.
“I’ll tell you what, it makes me sick,” Thompson told reporters after the game. “It sucks.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him. Care about the person more than the player, and everybody in the organization would say the same thing.”
Allen also had kind words and sympathy for his fellow quarterback.
“You can’t help but feel for him,” Allen said on the Amazon Prime Video postgame show. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I got a lot of love for him and just praying for him and his family.”
A couple of former NFL stars wondered if Tagovailoa should consider retirement. On the streaming broadcast, Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez said, “Tua’s future? I’m thinking retirement here.”
Former Seahawks star cornerback Richard Sherman said later on the postgame show, “You always want to keep going, but if I’m him, I’m with you Tony, I think you’ve got to go home.”
Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant echoed that on social media.
That’s it….
NFL go ahead and do the right thing
Tua has had entirely way too many concussions
He need to retire for his longevity health concerns
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) September 13, 2024
Tagovailoa said he had considered retirement after he suffered multiple concussions during the 2022 season. The concern for him after Thursday night isn’t just when he might return from this concussion, but for his long-term health.
