UPDATE: After suffering another scary head injury in Thursday’s loss to the Bills, Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is in the NFL concussion protocol and does not have a clear timeline at this point. Coach Mike McDaniel said on Friday about Tua that “the best thing I can do is not assess what this means from a football standpoint… Timelines give anxiety.”
For however long Tua is sidelined, McDaniel said the Dolphins plan to start Skylar Thompson, who completed 8-of-14 passes for 80 yards against the Bills after coming into the game following the injury. Thompson did not play last year after playing in eight games in his rookie year in 2022. He only threw two touchdowns in those games, averaging 153.7 passing yards per start. – Zach Thompson
SEPTEMBER 12: With 4:24 left in the third quarter and the Dolphins down by 21 points, Tua Tagovailoa dropped back to pass on a fourth down and scrambled for the first down. Unfortunately, instead of sliding, Tagovailoa put his head down and rammed into the oncoming defender. He stayed on the ground and exhibited signs of a possible concussion. After a few minutes, he was able to walk off the field but immediately went into the locker room.
Around 15 minutes after entering the locker room, the Dolphins reported that Tagovailoa had indeed suffered a concussion and would not return.
After the game, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that Tagovailoa will undergo further evaluation on Friday, but that his QB was in good spirits.
Tagovailoa has an extensive injury history in his brief career. In 2021, he suffered a rib injury and was carted off the field. He played 13 games. The following season, he suffered a concussion and played 13 games again.
Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa and will be the quarterback for as long as he’s out. Matt Waldman of Football Guys has talked positively about the prospects of Thompson being a viable quarterback. While he’s 25 years old, he only has seven games of NFL experience. And the results weren’t pretty, as he completed 57.1% of his passes and threw one touchdown to three interceptions.
This is his second year in the system and there’s a chance that he has developed, but it’s likely that he will be a massive downgrade at the quarterback position for the Dolphins. If so, then all the skill players take a hit and Mike McDaniel will likely be more conservative in his play calling. – Stan Son
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.