Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Tua Tagovailoa is doing well, smiling and working diligently with trainers and doctors after suffering a concussion in Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
McDaniel added that the quarterback is attending the Dolphins’ training complex and that the club does not yet have enough medical information to make the decision to place him on the injured list.
“We’re taking Tua’s case day by day, he feels fine and the decision of whether he will continue to play is up to him alone,” the coach explained.
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“For now he is being monitored by medical experts. Once we have all the information we will speak with Tua and Chris Grier [general manager] before deciding what the next step will be.”
Meanwhile, the Dolphins’ offense is trying to adapt to the new reality without Tua, while the Miami franchise announced on Monday the signing of quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley from the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad.
Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back De’Von Achane made clear their sadness over Tua’s injury suffered at Hard Rock Stadium in the 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills but also expressed confidence in his replacement Skylar Thompson.
Tua is expected to miss at least four weeks after suffering his fourth career concussion. Last Sunday, word emerged that Tua has no plans to retire. That decision, as McDaniel clarified, will be up to the player himself.
“It’s always sad to see your teammate down,” Waddle said Monday. “Ours is a dangerous sport and every week we put our bodies on the line.”
Waddle, who has shared a locker room with Tua since their days at the University of Alabama, said Thompson has enough experience to fill the void left by the Hawaiian quarterback.
“Thompson is entering his third year in the NFL and has played in playoff games,” the wide receiver added.
“During training camp, when Tua was in negotiations for a contract renewal, we worked a lot with Thompson, so he is ready to play.”
The Dolphins will visit the Seahawks next Sunday (4:05 pm) in Seattle.
“Helping his teammates will be key to Thompson being able to do his job well,” Waddle continued.
“We have to support him from protection to rushing and especially the wide receivers. We have to try to make his job easier.”
In the game against the Bills, Achane was the Dolphins’ best player with 165 yards gained by air and ground and a touchdown in 29 contacts with the ball during the game.
On the ground, Achane ran 22 times for 96 yards, and through the air, he received the ball seven times and had 69 yards and a five-yard touchdown.
His chemistry with Tua is one of the best, so one would think that he will be one of the attackers that the Hawaiian quarterback will miss the most.
“We will continue to play our game as if Tua were on the pitch,” Achane said. “Thompson is not facing his first rodeo, he has been with us for three years, he has played great matches and he is ready to jump on Sunday.”
Despite the signs of pain over Tua’s injury, the Dolphins players have a commitment ahead of them and are trying hard to give Thompson their full support.
“I have no doubt that Skylar [Thompson] will do his best job in Seattle,” defensive tackle Zach Sieler said. “I’m super excited to see him play. Obviously, we’re praying and sad for Tua, but at the same time I have no doubts about Skylar.”
Linebacker Jordyn Brook will face the Seahawks for the first time after having defended them for four seasons. He assured that everyone in the Dolphins plans to support Thompson so that he can have a successful performance.
“We will be on the court with Skylar; he won’t be alone, and there will be 10 teammates with him,” Brook said. “He has to do what he has been working on during the week, nothing different.”
As for Tua, everything indicates that he will be out for at least a month. The Dolphins brought in Huntley, who is very familiar with South Florida because he was born in Broward, more precisely in Dania, 26 years ago.
Huntley played with the Ravens in 2022 when Lamar Jackson was injured and earned a spot in the NFL Pro Bowl. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns this year but was released in August and returned to Baltimore.
He played nine games in total in the NFL, all with the Ravens.
