Tua's Mere Presence at Practice a Big Plus
Although Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa won’t play this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, he’s making a positive impact on the team.
Tagovailoa returned to the practice field this week for the first time since he suffered a scary concussion on Sept. 29 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Tagovailoa is still working his way through the NFL’s updated concussion protocol.
Dolphins quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Darrell Bevell is happy with how Tagovailoa has responded to his injury.
“He’s been great,” Bevell said. “He’s been outstanding. I mean, he’s chomping at the bit. I think anytime that something’s taken away from you in any way, I think there’s sometimes a more heightened awareness of how much you appreciate something, and I think Tua is going through that a little bit.”
Tagovailoa’s extra eagerness to return to action makes sense given how well he was playing before his injury. He was near the top of the NFL in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, and the Dolphins offense was averaging 27.6 points per game through Week 3.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel emphasized how just having Tagovailoa around is important to the team.
“So that’s exciting for everybody, just because really, we just miss his personality,” McDaniel said. “He’s a guy that we rely on, not to mention all of his play and all that stuff."
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TYREEK HILL: "ALWAYS FUN TO HAVE YOUR BROTHER BACK"
Tagovailoa won’t be adding to his numbers this week, but his energy on the practice field has impressed some of his teammates, like wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
“Well, just to have him back out there, his energy, his leadership,” Hill said. “The way that he’s able to have fun playing this game throughout it all, man, it’s just amazing within itself. So, it’s always fun to have your brother back out there on the field. I’m looking forward to having him whenever he’s back, but it’s good to see him healthy.”
Another player who should be happy to see Tagovailoa return this week is Miami’s expected starting quarterback, Skylar Thompson.
Thompson will make his first career start on Sunday, so having Tagovailoa and backup Teddy Bridgewater around to help him this week is a huge advantage.
Thompson, who Miami drafted in the seventh round this season, was forced into Miami’s loss to the New York Jets when Bridgewater left the game after one play and was placed in concussion protocol.
This left Thompson as the only quarterback on Miami’s sideline, something Bevell is glad won’t be the case this week.
“Last week there was a lot going on, and the two veteran guys weren’t there and then the next guy — even Reid (Sinnett) wasn’t dressed; he was on the sideline,” Bevell said. “So I just felt a little bit more urgency to stay with him, to communicate even more, and just try to be the veteran presence that he would need. On a week like this, I can still give him the information, but then when I walk away, I don’t have to worry about what’s going through his mind, because you’ll have those two veterans that will be able to stand there with him and give him some of the insights that they have.”
It is still unclear when Tagovailoa will officially return to the lineup, but McDaniel is just focused on taking his recovery one step at a time.
“I’m just excited to get him on the football field and see – there’s some progressions we have to make in terms of, ‘hey, he has to throw a pass,’ ” McDaniel said Wednesday morning. “As far as his exact timeline of when he’s going to play, I’ll be excited to consider that whenever that comes up. Right now, I’m just really focused on him getting out there and feeling good and being around his teammates, and those types of decisions aren’t in the immediate future right now."
In the meantime, Tagovailoa will just have to keep making an impact as a leader.
