Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel indicated Friday that the team intends to stick with Skylar Thompson as its starting quarterback while Tua Tagovailoa heals from a concussion sustained during Thursday’s game against Buffalo.
McDaniel had no immediate update on Tagovailoa’s status during a 10 a.m. Friday media briefing because the quarterback’s meetings with medical officials had not yet occurred Friday. McDaniel said he has “zero idea” on a timetable for Tagovailoa’s return but that he isn’t expected to play Sunday, Sept. 22 at Seattle.
The Dolphins have said that Tagovailoa has full movement in his extremities, is alert and was in good spirits and, as McDaniel said, “highly communicative” talking to teammates after Thursday’s game. Tagovailoa’s concussion was his third confirmed as a professional and reportedly the fourth of his life.
Asked if he believes retirement is a consideration for Tagovailoa, McDaniel said: “It would be so wrong of me to sniff that subject. It’s more in line with actually caring about the human being. You’re talking about his career. His career is his.... Bringing up his future is not in the best interests of him. I would plead with everyone that generally cares that that should be the last thing on his mind.”
Asked if the team is considering adding a veteran quarterback to start or compete with Thompson to start, McDaniel said: “The team and organization are very confident in Skylar. There’s a reason he is our backup quarterback. I’m expecting Skylar is the next man up.”
But McDaniel said “we will bring in someone.” Based on McDaniel’s comment, the implication is a new quarterback signed would either compete with practice squad quarterback Tim Boyle for the No. 2 job, behind Thompson, or serve as a third-string quarterback on the practice squad. But McDaniel said he expects to have three healthy quarterbacks available to play in Week 3 at Seattle.
Former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, on Amazon’s broadcast, said the Dolphins should place Tagovailoa on injured reserve, which would sideline him for games Sept. 22 at Seattle, Sept. 30 vs. Tennessee, Oct. 6 at New England and Oct. 20 at Indianapolis. The Dolphins have a bye the weekend of Oct. 13.
If Tagovailoa goes on IR, he would be eligible to return Oct. 27 against Arizona. McDaniel said it would be premature to discuss whether Tagovailoa would go on IR.
McDaniel said he would support Tagovailoa wearing a guardian cap, which reduces the chance of head injuries, in future games, but did not indicate if he would not require it.
McDaniel said Tagovailoa is like a “family member” to him.
McDaniel kissed Tagovailoa on the side of the head as he walked off the field following the concussion. What did McDaniel tell Tagovailoa then? “I told him he’s the starting quarterback of his family and to go in the locker room, take a deep breath, and I’ll see you soon.”
McDaniel addressed other issues on Friday:
▪ McDaniel said he expects left tackle Terron Armstead, who has a shoulder injury, to return “sooner than later” and that it “doesn’t look like the worst case scenario where it’s [a] season” ending issue.
“He was battling to the point he could have [played] if we would have allowed his competitive nature to overtake the pressure,” McDaniel said. “But he knew something was wrong. So far with the information, I’m optimistic it will be something he’ll be playing here sooner than later.”
▪ Why did McDaniel use Kendall Lamm and not second-round rookie Patrick Paul at left tackle after Armstead left for good in the second half? “
McDaniel said Paul is “definitely capable. In different situations, I would have been more open minded to it. When you’re coming off the bench as a rookie for the first time, in a division game where there’s a lot of frustration,” it might not have been the right spot for his debut.
“In games like that, if it’s your first taste, I try to avoid guys getting their first burn in the regular season, in a situation like that. It was definitely considered. I thought it was best to go with.. .Kendall given experience and productivity he’s given.”
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