Dolphins Deliver Bad News on QB Ahead of Tua Tagovailoa's Return

Tua Tagovailoa is set to make his highly-anticipated return for the Miami Dolphins this Sunday, but the team will be without Tyler Huntley, who stepped in during Tagovailoa's absence.

The Dolphins placed Huntley on injured reserve on Friday, sidelining him for at least the next four games. Huntley is dealing with a shoulder injury that knocked him out of Miami's Week 7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Huntley went 1-2 in his three starts with the Dolphins, passing for 377 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

With Huntley out of the mix, Tim Boyle, Skylar Thompson and newcomer C.J. Beathard will all be under consideration to backup Tagovailoa, who cleared concussion protocol this week.

Tagovailoa, sidelined since September 12, is set to provide a much-needed boost to a struggling Miami offense that currently ranks last in the NFL, averaging just 11.7 points per game .

"It makes a lot of difference. Tua — him and Mike, they've got this real special connection ," wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. "He allows Tua to be Tua. Tua has a connection with all the guys, all of us spend a lot of time with Tua so the connection is there. Then when you bring that all on the field, it magnifies everything that we do — throws are on time, playcalling, the operation is faster. He just does a great job of commanding this offense."

Miami is a 4.5-point home favorite against the Arizona Cardinals, per ESPN BET.

Related: Tua Tagovailoa Has Terrifying Explanation Of His Concussion Experience