Concussion forces Dolphins to place Tagovailoa on IR

Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The Miami Dolphins placed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on the injured reserve list after he suffered his third concussion in the NFL and fourth overall against the Buffalo Bills Thursday night.

Tagovailoa will spend at least four weeks on the IR list while recovering from the concussion that he suffered while scrambling on a fourth-down play deep in Bills' territory during the third quarter on Thursday night.

Tagovailoa ran headfirst into a Bill's safety Damar Hamlin's hip when he sustained the concussion and was removed from the game. He walked off the field after undergoing an initial medical check.

Hamlin suffered a life-threatening injury 20 months earlier while making a seemingly routine tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023. He returned to the Bills' starting roster for the game against Miami.

Tagovailoa finished the game 17 of 25 for 145 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions before suffering the head injury.

The Dolphin's lost to the visiting Buffalo Bills, 31-10, which dropped the team's record to 1-1 for the season.

Skylar Thompson will replace Tagovailoa until he can return no sooner than Oct. 21.

The Dolphins announced the team will sign former Baltimore Ravens practice quarterback Tyler Huntley as Thompson's backup.

Tagovailoa also suffered two concussions in 2022 and another while playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide in college.