Mike McDaniel Discusses Tua Tagovailoa Timetable with South Florida reporters Monday

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel met with South Florida reporters Monday morning to discuss quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's concussion return timetable. Tagovailoa was concussed during a Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills, and was placed on IR.

Tagovailoa has missed three of the mandatory four games so far, as Miami was off this week and heads to Indianapolis to face the Colts this Sunday. There were hopes of a return immediately following the Colts game, as it would coincide with that four-game minimum, and allow Tagovailoa to come back for a Week 8 home game against the Arizona Cardinals.

However, McDaniel didn't necessarily say anything extremely specific, yet could have tipped his hand that Week 8 is not a sure-fire date to mark as Tagovailoa's return. "I do expect to see him playing football in 2024, McDaniel told reports. He added: "But where that is exactly, we’ll let the process continue.”

An ambiguous answer to the question of when , but McDaniel seemed confident that there isn't an if , in this equation. Tagovailoa is eligible to return to Miami practice on October 23rd, leading into that potential Cardinals game.

At 2-3, the Dolphins would of course welcome Tagovailoa back sooner than later, but when dealing with something as sensitive and serious as concussions, the lack of a set timetable is understandable.

McDaniel expanded a bit on reasoning here at this exact moment saying, "Since we still have time before you could even entertain anything, we'll make sure that he [Tagovailoa] is diligent this week and assess after that."

It's clear the Dolphins are a completely different offense with Tagovailoa at the helm. Tyler Huntley helped move Miami's offense to a win against the Patriots Week 5, but that victory came on the legs of the Dolphins ground game and the defense. While health is the most important aspect of any decision like this, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins will go through the necessary motions the next few weeks.

The Dolphins are sitting at 2-3, and will face a 3-3 Indianapolis Colts team with their own unique quarterback situation. Second year starter Anthony Richardson has not played the last two games, yet veteran Joe Flacco has stepped up admirably. Flacco led the Colts to a 20-17 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

The Dolphins as a whole are fresh off their bye week, and look to prepare to earn a road victory without Tagovailoa in Indianapolis in order to get to .500. Should Tagovailoa in fact return to the Dolphins Week 8, a potential 3-3 record could keep Miami in the running within an AFC East that has a fired head coach, a rebuilding organization, and a Bills team that has struggled against the league's elite so far this season.