Tua Tagovailoa Returns To Throwing At Dolphins Practice After Concussion Scare

PublishedOctober 12, 2022 7:22 PM EDT|UpdatedOctober 12, 2022 7:22 PM EDT

It almost began to feel like Tua Tagovailoa was set to be sidelined forever.

Thankfully, good news arrived in Miami on Wednesday.

Tagovailoa was back at Dolphins practice and spotted throwing to his receivers, albeit not as a "full-go" during the session. He's been sidelined from action since suffering a concussion against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29.

During the Wednesday session, Tagovailoa was throwing short-to-intermediate throws to receivers. Before Dolphins fans could get excited over a potential return based on Wednesday's footage, coach Mike McDaniel ruled Tua out for their Week 6 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

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"I don't see him being active," McDaniel said, even if Tua clears the concussion protocol soon. "I can say with certainty that he's not going to play this week."

Dolphins QB Teddy Bridgewater joined Tagovailoa in the concussion protocol after taking a hard hit in Week 5. With both QBs in the protocol, the Dolphins announced Skylar Thompson as the starter for Sunday's game. Bridgwater is expected to practice on Thursday, as noted by OutKick's Armando Salguero, and is on track to back up Thompson for the Minnesota game.

Effects of Tagovailoa's Injury

We've all been discussing the negative effects that the reaction to Tua Tagovailoa's concussion has had on NFL games and officiating.

Seeing Tua return to practice was a good development for the QB, but watching the prudent handling of players in the concussion protocol ever since Tagovailoa's injury, made worse by the primetime spotlight, has waned confidence in the league's reaction based on their knee-jerk response.

Following his concussion against the Bengals, Tagovailoa underwent further evaluation and had a clean MRI.

TUA TAGOVAILOA’S MRI COMES BACK CLEAN, WILL NOT PLAY SUNDAY VS JETS

Still, the league almost immediately took action after Tua's concussion by updating the concussion protocol, which will likely keep players sidelined longer than ever before as a result of head/neck injuries.

NFL-NFLPA CONCUSSION INVESTIGATION: NO SANCTIONS FOR DOLPHINS, PROTOCOL CHANGING

Let's see how the season plays out and whether the league and its coaches, will continue to err on the side of overly cautious.