Tua and Teddy Both Cleared from Concussion Protocol

The Miami Dolphins again have their full complement of quarterbacks
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Quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater officially are back and again available for the Miami Dolphins.

Both players are out of the concussion protocol after being cleared Saturday morning.

All indications are that neither will play against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6, though Bridgewater is expected to be active and backing up rookie seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson in his first NFL start.

And it means that Tagovailoa will be back in the starting lineup for the Sunday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 23, on the night when the Dolphins' 1972 "perfect" team is honored and former Miami head coach Brian Flores returns to Hard Rock Stadium in his new role as Steelers senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach.

The news Saturday morning, reported by national media outlets first and confirmed by a league source, comes after both Tagovailoa and Bridgewater were able to practice fully Friday after first starting off on a limited basis.

Tagovailoa flew to Detroit and Pittsburgh to meet with specialists ahead of his return to practice, according to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, going above and beyond the requirements of the concussion protocol.

It's pretty clear that Tua suffered no setbacks in his recovery from the scary-looking injury he sustained in the Week 4 Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he will have missed two starts when he returns to the lineup.

While there was some uncertainty regarding Tua's condition based on the optics of the Cincinnati game, the situation was different with Bridgewater and his quick return and departure from the concussion protocol wasn't surprising.

For those who might have missed it, Brigewater became the victim of the new concussion rules when a spotter determined he saw signs of ataxia after the quarterback was hit by Jets rookie "Sauce" Gardner on the Dolphins' first offensive snap.


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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.