Dolphins All But Rule Out Tua for Finale

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is likely to miss a second consecutive game because of his hip injury

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) attempts a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during second half at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel didn't technically rule out Tua Tagovailoa for the team's season finale against the New York Jets, but he came about as close to it as possible Friday.

McDaniel basically said it would be Tyler "Snoop" Huntley at quarterback for the second consecutive game, while shutting the window entirely on Tagovailoa being able to play.

“We'll approach it like Snoop's starting," McDaniel said before practice. "It looks like the way that I approached the week was probably smart. I see it as unlikely that Tua will see any action.”

Tagovailoa continues to deal with a hip injury that first occurred in the Week 15 loss against the Houston Texans and was aggravated the following week against the San Francisco 49ers.

McDaniel said there was no fracture involve and it wasn't an issue of pain tolerance in determining Tua's playing status.

“I think Tua wishes it was just a pain issue," McDaniel said. "It's quite literally being able to have Tua protecting himself from a very serious injury if we don't treat it appropriately. So I wouldn't say it was a bruise, but it's kind of a unique muscle issue as a result of the hip.”

After saying Monday that surgery "currently" wasn't on the table, McDaniel doubled down with a more definitive statement Friday, saying there is no surgical solution to the issue, that it will get better with Tua not pushing through and constantly aggravting the injury.

McDaniel said there has been improvement in Tua's condition, but obviously not enough to feel comfortable having him out there against the Jets.

Tagovailoa was listed as a limited participant in the first two days of practice this week.

If he indeed does miss the Jets game, that will make six starts missed this season, the most of his career.

Tua missed one start as a rookie in 2020 after taking over as the starter for Ryan Fitzpatrick, the missed four games in 2021 with a rib injury and later a finger injury, and four more games in 2022 because of his first two diagnosed concussions.