Mike McDaniel Breaks Silence On Tua Tagovailoa's Injury

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was in good spirits and went home after suffering a concussion during the team's Thursday Night Football loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2.

"I did talk to him in the locker room before he was headed home, you know, he was in good spirits," McDaniel told reporters during his press conference via NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe.

McDaniel said the team would know more information on Friday (September 13) after Tagovailoa underwent a thorough evaluation, at which point they would have conversations and address the issue appropriately.

"McDaniel said Tua went around to guys in the locker room after the game trying to keep their head up," Wolfe added.

Tagovailoa was officially ruled out in the third quarter due to a concussion. Backup Skylar Thompson took over at quarterback in Tagovailoa's absence.

Tagovailoa finished Thursday's game with 145 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, on 17 of 25 passing. The former Alabama standout has a documented history with head injuries, having been placed in the NFL's concussion protocol twice and suffered several concerning blows to the head during the 2022 NFL season which, despite being limited to just 13 games, was the most productive of his first three seasons, prior to a career-best 2023 campaign.

Tagovailoa cited medical opinions that Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) "wasn't going to be a problem" for him as he's not "constantly" hitting his head like players at other positions prior to the 2023 season after admitting he contemplated retirement. The Dolphins' handling of Tagovailoa's concussion status was reviewed by the NFL and NFL Players Association during the 2022 season, which led to numerous modifications to protocols.

Tagovailoa recently agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million extension.