MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Tyreek Hill couldn't hide his excitement catching the football from Tua Tagovailoa on Wednesday for the first time in over a month.
“I just had a big cheese on my face,” Hill said. “It just felt so good.”
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Tagovailoa practiced Wednesday for the first time since suffering a concussion in Week 2, and the Dolphins (2-4) are aiming for him to start Sunday against Arizona.
Tagovailoa still needs to progress through the final stages of the NFL's concussion protocol for that to happen, but he moved one step closer by returning to the practice field.
“I feel very good about how he attacked this whole process and how he came out of it to this day," coach Mike McDaniel said before Wednesday's practice. "And you hope for a couple days of good work so then you have no blips and you're cleared to play.”
Tagovailoa has met with numerous medical experts who specialize in brain and head injuries since being diagnosed with the third concussion of his NFL career on Sept. 12. The experts deemed it safe for him to return to football, McDaniel said Monday.
Tagovailoa said he would not wear a Guardian Cap — the protective soft-shell helmet cover that is optional for players to wear in games — saying it is a “personal choice.” Tagovailoa already wears a quarterback-specific helmet designed to help reduce head injuries.
Tagovailoa was concussed twice in 2022 — the latter of which briefly knocked him unconscious — and suffered a third hard hit to the head that was not diagnosed as a concussion.
The fifth-year quarterback pointed to those hits, which sparked widespread debates on his health and led to changes to the NFL's concussion protocol, as the reason for continued talks about whether he should keep playing football.
“I appreciate your concern, I really do,” Tagovailoa said. "I love this game, and I love it to the death of me, that’s it.”
Tagovailoa did not indicate that this latest concussion would completely change the way he approaches the game, but he said he has to “be smart.”
“My entire time playing football, I’ve been a competitor," Tagovailoa said, “and that is — or was — sort of my edge when I would run from high school, even in college I would do the same thing. But it’s a professional setting; this is the professional level, the best of the best, you just can't be doing that.”
Tagovailoa's Week 2 concussion came when he initiated contact with Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin by lowering his shoulder into Hamlin instead of sliding. His teammates said they have since stressed to him to slide in those situations.
“We can say those things to him until we’re blue in the face," said running back Raheem Mostert. “But one thing that I would say, there’s always my saying ‘You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.’ We’re going to bring Tua to that water, but we can’t make him drink."
Hill mentioned a point in last Sunday's game at Indianapolis when fans cheered seeing quarterback Anthony Richardson slide instead of taking unnecessary contact.
“I said our fans need to clap for Tua and make him slide,” Hill said. “We need you, bro. Next play, come on. It’s real, and we love him. From brother to brother, we love him. Like he’s a huge part of this team.”
Tagovailoa put on weight last season to better withstand the hits he takes on the field. He didn't miss a game because of injuries in 2023 for the first time in his career but shed a few pounds this offseason to help with his mobility.
McDaniel detailed the balance.
“It’s not really like a quarterback run game type of thought process.,” McDaniel said. "But for him, I think one of the reasons why this time around he was so diligent and deliberate on excessive running and staying in shape to keep what he feels — and I think I would agree — is a competitive advantage for his game, is being able to move his body around in the best way that allows him to make the plays that he’s capable of making. I wouldn’t say that from a schematic standpoint things would alter that much.”
The Dolphins averaged more than 200 yards passing and 400 total yards per game with Tagovailoa last season. They were second in scoring with 29.2 points and led the league in explosive plays of at least 10 yards.
Under Skylar Thompson, Tyler “Snoop” Huntley and Tim Boyle, Miami has not scored more than 15 points, and Hill and Jaylen Waddle have seen a significant drop in their production with Tagovailoa out, including a combined 19 yards on two catches in Sunday's loss to the Colts.
McDaniel said Tagovailoa should not be considered the “savior” for Miami's offensive struggles. Hill disagreed.
“He’s a big part of this team,” Hill said. “I'm going to keep saying that. Every guy in this locker room knows that. And obviously, when we go play a game, it’s next man up. That’s the mentality all day. But when Tua is a part of this offense, (nobody can) stop us.”
Notes
The Dolphins signed veteran quarterback C.J. Beathard to their practice squad Wednesday, along with wide receiver Tarik Black, and released tight end Hayden Rucci from the practice squad. Huntley, who started the past three games, is not expected to be available Sunday because of a shoulder injury. McDaniel said he would wait and see how Beathard, Boyle and Thompson perform in practice before deciding on a backup.
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