EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Mike McDaniel probably anticipated there would be a lot of things he would have to learn quickly in his first season as Miami Dolphins coach.
Becoming a quasi-neurologist or concussion expert was probably not among them.
It has been the reality for the Dolphins the past few weeks, and now they’re likely to endure more weeks when it’s the leading issue around the team, which fell to 3-2 after Sunday’s 40-17 loss at the New York Jets.
Now, as Miami looks ahead to the upcoming Week 6 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings (4-1), the Dolphins will go through a third week of constant questions surrounding concussion protocol and quarterback availability.
Yes, that’s now plural — the availability of quarterbacks.
Already with starter Tua Tagovailoa recovering from his concussion in the Sept. 29 loss against the Bengals in Cincinnati, on Sunday, it was backup Teddy Bridgewater going down. Although not diagnosed with a concussion and clearing concussion tests, Bridgewater was not allowed to return due to the league’s stricter protocol, which was updated Saturday.
The Dolphins have become very well versed in the NFL’s rules surrounding concussions — and now, too, the fallout.
Tagovailoa’s suspected concussion that wasn’t diagnosed in Miami’s Sept. 25 win over the Buffalo Bills was what ignited an NFL Players Association investigation that resulted in Saturday’s protocol changes.
The first victim to the rule change? You guessed it. The Dolphins. Bridgewater was deemed by a spotter upstairs at MetLife Stadium on Sunday to stumble, a sign of ataxia or gross motor instability, now an automatic “no-go” symptom.
That eliminated Bridgewater from the rest of the game after Miami’s first offensive play against the Jets, forcing the Dolphins to roll with rookie third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson the rest of the way.
So who will start against the Vikings this Sunday?
Could Tagovailoa progress through the five-step return-to-action process after not traveling to East Rutherford, New Jersey?
Will Bridgewater, who is in the concussion protocol although he was not diagnosed with a concussion on Sunday, be cleared? He still has go through the same five-step process to come back, but since he was not diagnosed with a concussion, it could go quicker.
And can the Dolphins just make it through a game where a quarterback doesn’t have to exit after banging his head on the turf the same exact way due to whiplash from a hit by an opposing defender?
If neither Tagovailoa nor Bridgewater can go, then Thompson is up again — this time, with a week of preparation as the starter. Quarterback Reid Sinnett, recently brought back to Miami on the Dolphins’ practice squad, would get an elevation to the active roster for backup duties. Maybe some unknown fifth-string quarterback has to be signed off the street in case of an ultimate quarterback doomsday scenario.
In addition to the quarterbacks, the Dolphins will be monitoring the health of cornerback Xavien Howard, who missed Sunday’s game due injuries to both groins, left tackle Terron Armstead, who made an early exit after aggravating a toe ailment, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who left MetLife Stadium in a walking boot for his left foot on Sunday.
McDaniel is scheduled to speak to reporters at the team’s Miami Gardens facility late Monday afternoon.
