Tua Tagovailoa Out vs. Bills for Wild Card, Dolphins Announce

This is his second stint in the concussion protocol this season.

Tua Tagovailoa will miss the Dolphins’ wild-card matchup against the Bills on Sunday while he’s still in the concussion protocol, coach Mike McDaniel announced Wednesday. Skylar Thompson will start with Teddy Bridgewater still dealing with a dislocated pinky finger. 

Tagovailoa has been in the protocol since Dec. 26, missing Miami’s final two games of the regular season. This is his second stint in the concussion protocol this season.

It all started in September when he was assessed for a head injury against the Bills, and an unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant cleared him to return to the game. Four days later, in Miami’s Week 4 game against the Bengals, Tagovailoa was knocked unconscious after hitting the back of his head on the ground. He was briefly hospitalized and subsequently entered the protocol. The consultant who cleared him a week earlier was eventually fired.

The incident triggered a joint league and NFL Players Association investigation, which led to the league changing its concussion protocol to mandate that any player who shows possible concussion symptoms—including a lack of balance or stability—sit out the remainder of a game. 

His latest concussion occurred on Christmas Day against the Packers. It’s unclear when the injury occurred, but Tagovailoa self-reported concussion symptoms the next day after playing the game’s entirety. The incident again led to the NFL and NFLPA investigating Miami’s handling of the quarterback’s health on Dec. 28. Three days later, both parties announced the team did not violate the protocol, and Tagovailoa did not show symptoms during the game against the Packers.

Kickoff at Highmark Stadium is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.