Dolphins place QB Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve because of concussion suffered vs. Bills

The Miami Dolphins placed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve Tuesday with the concussion he suffered Thursday against the Buffalo Bills.

It’s not clear from Miami’s announcement how long Tagovailoa will be sidelined. A stint on injured reserve means that Tagovailoa will miss at least four games.

Tagovailoa, who has a history of head trauma, was concussed by a hit to the head in the third quarter of Thursday’s 31-10 loss to the Bills.

Tagovailoa remained down on the field after the hit. He eventually walked to the locker room with the aid of trainers and did not return to the game.

Backup Skylar Thompson took over at quarterback against Buffalo and is the presumed starter moving forward as long as Tagovailoa remains sidelined. The Dolphins signed former Ravens backup Tyler Huntley off the Baltimore practice squad on Monday.

Tagovailoa’s latest brain injury prompted renewed calls for him to consider retiring to protect his health. He’s reportedly in consultation with independent neurologists and has no intentions of retiring.

Tagovailoa’s history of brain injuries

Tagovailoa suffered at least two concussions during the 2022 season and is believed to have suffered a third. He was visibly shaken and wobbly after hitting the back of his head on the turf in Week 4 that season against the Bills. He was allowed to return to the game after initially being diagnosed with a head injury but passing concussion protocol. The Dolphins later classified the injury as a back injury.

A week later in a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals, another hit to the head triggered what appeared to be a fencing response from Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa was immobilized on a stretcher and transported from the stadium to a local hospital. He was diagnosed with a concussion.

Tagovailoa missed the next two games before returning to the field in Week 7. He suffered another concussion in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers that ended his season. His third head injury of the season prompted calls for Tagovailoa to retire.

Miami’s handling of Tagovailoa’s injury against the Bills in 2022 and allowing him to return to the field prompted an NFLPA investigation and ultimately triggered a midseason change to the NFL’s concussion protocols to better protect players who have suffered head injuries.

Tagovailoa said that he considered retirement during the 2023 season, but returned to play all 17 games, earning his first Pro Bowl spot in the process. Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension prior to the start of this season.