More Mystery Around Tua Status

The status of Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa remained something of a mystery before the team began its week of practice ahead of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

Head coach Brian Flores said Wednesday morning he wasn't sure about Tagovailoa's status for the afternoon practice.

“Tua has been rehabbing," Flores said. "He’s been getting treatment. He’s working hard to get back in there. We’ll see about today when we get out there. Again, I wish I had a crystal ball to tell you he’s going to practice fully, but we’ve got to get out there and do that before we can say that. He’s doing everything he can and we’ll evaluate it as we go.”

Tagovailoa was limited in practice all of last week before he was listed as questionable on the final injury report. Then on Saturday he was downgraded to doubtful and ended up being inactive for the 20-3 victory against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

There were mixed messages on that day, however.

NFL reporter Mike Garafolo suggested before the Jets game that Tagovailoa might be looking at a "multi-game absence."

From @NFLGameDay: Nothing broken in Tua Tagovailoa's thumb but there is swelling and weakness, so that's why it'll be Ryan Fitzpatrick for the #Dolphins vs. the #Jets today. pic.twitter.com/3RCDOHySJM
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 29, 2020

Flores then said after the game that Tagovailoa came "very close" to being able to play against the Jets, which certainly would have seemed to suggest he would be ready to go this week.

But now we're back to a wait-and-see approach.

What we do know is that Flores said unequivocally that Tua will be in the starting lineup when he's healthy enough to play.

Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, meanwhile, will be ready for another start if it turns out that Tagovailoa needs another week or more to recover.

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