It seems that the Miami Dolphins will be having some struggles in the later parts of the season as the team is now set to miss the services of their lead QB Tua Tagovailoa will now be placed on the injury reserve list after suffering a concussion in their recent game. This move will see him eligible to return on October 27th against the Arizona Cardinals at the earliest.

The Dolphins currently sit at the bottom of the AFC East with a 1-1 record, and Tagovailoa going down this early spells doom for the team’s chances of winning as they seek to actually make it back to the playoff stage. However with Tagovailoa out of the game for at least four more games, it does seem that the team is quite in danger of falling out of the competition early into the season.

Considering how tight the competition is in the AFC East, with the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and New York Jets all in impressive form, it does seem that the Dolphins will have a tough time navigating the tough waters of the division with the hopes of sinking their chances to the top of the division and even in the AFC itself.

Tagovailoa’s Timeline of Return

Tagovailoa is confirmed to miss out on the next four games of the Dolphins after the team listed him on the injured list. The QB suffered a concussion as he was running for a first down and later collided with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin in the second half. Miami went on to lose that game, which led to their 1-1 record in the first two games of the season.

In the incident, Tagovailoa was dazed on the ground for a few moments before the Dolphins staff helped him off the field, which worried a lot of fans and experts heading into the next games of the season. It is worth noting that Tagovailoa has a long history of concussions in his NFL career, which has definitely prevented him from lifting his game to the next level.

The QB missed out on a total of five games in 2022 due to concussions, with one of those requiring him to be stretchered out of the field in Cincinnati. In 2023, Tagovailoa has had a promising season after leading the NFL in passing yards, even starting every single game and avoiding injury for the first time in his career.

Chances for the Dolphins

In the aftermath of Tagovailoa’s injury, the Dolphins went on to sign veteran quarterback Tyler Huntley, who came off the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad. With their main QB out for an undetermined amount of time, it is expected that backup Skylar Thompson is also slated to start Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Dolphins have also released wide receiver Robbie Chosen and have signed offensive lineman Jackson Carman with the hopes of strengthening their passing lanes. Without Tagovailoa, the Dolphins will have to make the most of the available squad and their schedule that is expected to put them to the test.

Miami is also slated to have its bye in Week 6. The team has opted to give their lead QB more time to recover and progress through the league’s concussion protocol and meet up with outside neurologists for the best results in his physical health moving forward.