As Tua Tagovailoa's health looms over 'MNF' matchup, Tennessee Titans admit concussion fears

Whether they want to or not, Tennessee Titans players can't help but reflect on the scary situation Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finds himself in.

The Titans (0-3) visit the Dolphins (1-2) at Hard Rock Stadium for a "Monday Night Football" game (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) this week. The Dolphins will be without Tagovailoa, the NFL's reigning passing leader, as he's recovering from his fourth diagnosed concussion in the past five years. That includes three in his NFL career.

His most recent one, suffered in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills, landed him on injured reserve and sparked conversation and speculation from media and fans alike about whether Tagovailoa should consider retirement.

"It’s something that we don’t like to think about as players, but it’s a reality of the game," Titans quarterback Will Levis said . "It’s so (easy) to pretend like that’s not something that’s a potential for any of us."

ESTES | What Titans need most can't be bought

There were 219 reported concussions in the NFL in 2023. That's down 22% from record reported numbers in 2017 but trending up from the 172 reported in 2020 and 187 reported in 2021. It remains unknown, given the constant number of collisions in football and how reliant concussion diagnoses are on symptoms being noticed by third parties or self-reported by players, how many concussions are sustained but not diagnosed.

As is the case in all NFL locker rooms, the Titans roster is littered with players who've dealt with concussions in their past. Wide receiver Treylon Burks has missed five games in the past two years because of a pair of concussions, including three games last season after he had to be carted off the field on a stretcher following a helmet-to-helmet hit in Pittsburgh.

Titans backup quarterback Mason Rudolph was knocked unconscious following a head-on collision in a game against Baltimore back in 2019. Linebacker Luke Gifford went out with a concussion on the first play of the 2024 preseason, ironically sustaining the injury on the dynamic kickoff play that was specially designed to reduce injuries.

And this season, tight end Josh Whyle became the first Titans player to wear a Guardian Cap — essentially a soft-shelled outer covering to add another layer of cushion to the helmet — in games as a preventative measure after being diagnosed with one concussion in 2023 and another in the 2024 preseason.

Tagovailoa's situation resonates with all of these players. Coming back from a concussion isn't as simple as waiting for your brain to heal.

"You basically lose your mind for however long that you’re out," Burks said. "It’s hard to explain until you have one."

"It was tough to come back from," Rudolph added. "I tried to come back two weeks after. It just takes you a minute to get back comfortable on the field. No (I don't regret it) at all; I felt like I think it’s more of just a confidence thing. You’ve missed a couple weeks. You’ve kind of almost got a little PTSD. I felt fine in the head and I was cleared by some of the best specialists in Pittsburgh. You just kind of get shaken up about it a bit mentally."

Doctors explained to Rudolph after his concussion that being knocked unconscious usually doesn't have anything to do with the severity of the injury. The difference, Rudolph says, is optics. Everyone remembers the image of an unresponsive player surrounded by medical personnel.

So 22 days later, when he first returned, coincidentally for a "Monday Night Football" matchup against Miami, he was a little nervous. He admits it took him a couple of drives to settle down and feel like himself.

The repeated nature of Tagovailoa's situation further complicates an already complicated conundrum for players. Levis says he believes the more cautiously someone plays, the more likely they are to get hurt. Gifford and Burks say surviving as a pro isn't as simple as having a set number of concussions in mind after which you'd call it a career.

MORE TITANS ANALYSIS: Will Levis won't emerge as franchise QB if one huge Tennessee Titans flaw isn't fixed pronto

"It’s not a situation I want to find myself in, I know that much," Gifford said.

The unfortunate reality, though, is these are situations players do find themselves in.

"I’ve got a family to take care of," Burks said. "But eventually it comes a time where if you do have too many, eventually you’ve got to start thinking about yourself and your well-being. Ten to 20 years from now, you don’t want to be a noodle. You’ve got to keep that in perspective also."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com . Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: As Tua Tagovailoa's health looms over 'MNF' matchup, Tennessee Titans admit concussion fears