MIAMI — Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out for Sunday’s wild-card round game against the Bills in Buffalo, coach Mike McDaniel announced Wednesday, as he hasn’t been cleared by doctors to resume on-field football activities.
McDaniel said the team is preparing as if rookie Skylar Thompson will start, while backup Teddy Bridgewater continues to heal from a dislocated pinkie on his right (throwing) hand.
Tagovailoa, who ended the regular season as the NFL’s highest-rated passer, hasn’t practiced since being diagnosed with his second concussion one day after Miami’s Christmas Day loss to the Green Bay Packers.
“He was an incredible part of the entire season,” McDaniel said. “Eight of our wins were as a result of him playing quarterback, amongst the team, and that did not come because it was just gifted. That was a lot of work and preparation, so it’s very frustrating, much as a lot of things in life and football are. But it is very frustrating for him to not be able to go through everything with his teammates and really it was a huge goal of his to help get this team to the playoffs and he wants to play in the playoffs. There’s nothing more fun than playoff football and he really finds normal football fun. So very conflicting I would say, but [Tagovailoa] understands that it’s his best interest that the doctors and medical professionals are seeking and respects and regards that.”
McDaniel said Tagovailoa hasn’t had a setback in his recovery but noted “compounding variables” are at play. Asked whether there have been concerns raised about Tagovailoa playing in the future, McDaniel declined to answer and said, “I’m just thinking about his day and him getting to full health as a human being. And when it’s time to turn the page, I’ll turn the page.”
The Dolphins are 1-3 in games Tagovailoa doesn’t start this season but won their regular-season finale against the New York Jets to return to the postseason for the first time since 2016. Thompson started for Bridgewater, who dislocated his pinkie against the New England Patriots in Week 17. Bridgewater was active in Week 18 and McDaniel said he was able to enter the game in an emergency situation.
In practice and pre-game warmups, Bridgewater has only thrown the ball short distances.
“He’s got to be able to rip it in time to be able to get some work with his teammates,” McDaniel said. “But that’s not even really his objective. With this timeline, he’s really focusing on being able to come through if needed, because he knows on the front end, he’s not going to be able to get that many reps, if any. So it’s him building, and the bottom line is if we’re in the situation on Sunday and we need him to play and he says he can play, my relationship with him and what he’s earned, the trust that I have for him, if he says he can roll, he can roll.”
The Dolphins also have veteran quarterback Mike Glennon, who was signed to the practice squad last week.
Tagovailoa started both games against the Bills in the regular season. In Week 3, a 21-19 Dolphins win, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown but was briefly sidelined to be evaluated for a head injury. Tagovailoa’s first diagnosed concussion just four days later sparked an investigation by the NFL and the NFL Players Association and led to a change in the “no-go” symptoms that bar a player from returning to the game. In Week 15, a 32-29 Bills win, Tagovailoa completed 17 of 30 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns.
The Dolphins’ offense has struggled without Tagovailoa, averaging 25 points in the 13 games he has started and 16 points in the four games he’s missed. And the team could be playing its first playoff game in six years without other key contributors. Running back Raheem Mostert broke his thumb against the Jets and missed practice Wednesday, though McDaniel said he wouldn’t rule him out just yet.
“I’d be a fool if I was the 1,500th guy that tried to tell Raheem Mostert he couldn’t do something,” he said.
Offensive tackle Terron Armstead also sat out practice as he deals with a litany of injuries. Armstead, who has missed the last two games, said Wednesday that functionality, not pain, is an issue and that he continues to work to try to be available for Sunday’s game.
Three additional linemen did not practice Wednesday — Kendall Lamm, Brandon Shell and Liam Eichenberg.
The Dolphins have yet to eclipse 21 points in a game Tagovailoa hasn’t played and scored just nine points against the Jets before a game-ending safety. This season, Thompson has completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 534 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. Advanced stats have rated him as one of the least efficient quarterbacks in the NFL, albeit with a small sample size.
However, McDaniel praised Thompson’s poise against the Jets — he didn’t turn the ball over — and expressed confidence in the seventh-round pick after playing in a playoff-like situation in Week 18.
“Obviously we want to score every time we get the ball, especially against a team like this,” Thompson said. “It’s a very good football team, very good offense, very good defense, all around. Any chances you get to score touchdowns, you’ve got to capitalize and do that.”
