Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said at a Monday press conference that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is set to return to practice Wednesday and that the team plans to play him against the Cardinals in Week Eight if all goes well in the coming days, but he said that an answer to whether Tagovailoa will wear a Guardian Cap has to come from the quarterback.
Tagovailoa got the opportunity to do that later on Monday. Dolphins running back De’Von Achane wore one against the Colts on Sunday in his return from a concussion, but Tagovailoa said that he will not do the same. Tagovailoa said “personal choice” when asked about why he decided not to wear the extra protection.
Tagovailoa said he has not experienced any concussion symptoms since the day after he suffered it in a Week Two game against the Bills and that he did not have any conversations about retiring during his time on injured reserve. While he wasn’t symptomatic, Tagovailoa said he didn’t take issue with going on injured reserve because experts told him that “having a substantial amount of time to rest and recover” was in his best interests.
Tagovailoa was also asked about those who are concerned that he’s putting himself at risk of lasting problems due to brain injuries. He said there’s “a gray area” in terms of what doctors believe in terms of long-term impact of concussions and that playing football “is what makes me happy and I’m gonna do it.”
“I appreciate your concern,” Tagovailoa said. “I really do. I love this game. And I love it to the death of me. Thats it.”
Tagovailoa will need to take part in practice before he can be fully cleared from the concussion protocol. It sounds like he expects that to happen this week and the Dolphins will welcome him back to an offense that has not been productive since he was injured.