Tua Tagovailoa is expected to practice next week and hopes to play in Week 8

Tua Tagovailoa is focused on his return to the field. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told his team that the starting quarterback is expected to begin practice next Wednesday. If all goes well, there is “hope” that Tagovailoa will be the focal point for Miami in Week 8.

This schedule would mark a minimum stay for the quarterback on injured reserve. Tagovailoa landed on the shelf after Week 2 when he suffered his third concussion in two years. It was uncertain whether the former first-round pick would even continue his NFL career, let alone take the field when he was first eligible. McDaniel expressed some optimism earlier this week when he admitted he expects his starter to return in 2024. Now it looks like the league’s top seed in 2023 has every intention of playing the Cardinals next Sunday.

Per Russini, the organization and the player used his IR stint to assess his future, which included visits to multiple specialists. Fortunately, Tagovailoa has no lingering issues from his recent concussion and Russini writes that the signal-caller would play in Week 7 if he were eligible.

Tagovailoa’s return should inject new life into the Dolphins’ offense, which has struggled greatly during his absence. After ranking second in the NFL with 29.2 points per game last season, the Dolphins are averaging a league-worst 12 points per game in 2024 Skylar Thompson And Tyler Huntley to lead the offensive in recent weeks. This duo has combined for 397 yards in their three starts; For comparison, Tagovailoa threw for 338 yards in the season opener. This weekend, Huntley is expected to continue as the team’s starting quarterback.

If Tagovailoa does indeed return in Week 8, there’s a chance the Dolphins will be 2-4. The organization will be counting on the former fifth overall pick to turn the season around.