Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Goes Down With Another Concussion During Thursday Night Football, Putting His Career In Jeopardy

Thursday night was a scary reminder that it only takes one hit in football to change the trajectory of somebody's career. Or in the case of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, unfortunately it was yet another harrowing collision and what appeared to be another traumatic head injury. Tua took off on a fourth-down scramble deep in Bills territory when Buffalo Bills defender Damar Hamlin walloped him in the helmet. The severe blow to the head and neck area caused Tua's arms to stretch in an unnatural way, as he lay crumbled on the turf when the Dolphins medical staff raced out to tend to him. Warning: The videos below may be hard for some to watch. https://twitter.com/Rate_the_Refs/status/1834416752400420987 https://twitter.com/ChrisNowinski1/status/1834418190232809665 The only good news here is that Tua walked off the field under his own power, though it was quickly announced that he would not be returning to the game after suffering a concussion from the hit. What's most disturbing is that Tua had at least two, some believe three, concussions during the 2022 season alone. Some offseason martial arts training and learning how to fall helped him stay healthy all last season. However, as part of improving his all-around game, Tua opted to slim down by about 14 pounds this offseason. The hip injury that ended his college career means he can't move quite as well as he used to even at a lighter weight, but he's a decent athlete who can buy a little time or even pick up some chunk yardage with his legs. On this particular occasion, Tua was caught in the open field and didn't really get the opportunity to slide and protect himself. Part of that is wanting the first down in a gotta-have-it situation, and you can appreciate that. The drawback of course is that Tua in particular puts himself in such a vulnerable spot on those bang-bang plays. Not only is it concerning given his injury history, but it's not what he does best in the first place. Far from it. Now that it's a third, potentially fourth concussion in fewer than three years for Tua, though, you have to wonder how much longer he can carry on. He did get paid, and based on his level of play alone, he deserved to. I just think it's time to look at the bigger picture again, and really think long and hard about letting Tua step onto the gridiron again. I mean, shouldn't Goodell and the league office step in? https://twitter.com/espn/status/1834420000817582562 Tua and the Dolphins were already having a rough night, trailing 31-10 to their nemesis Buffalo. You just couldn't draw up a more nightmarish night for coach Mike McDaniel's team. I hate to say it because I love what Tua and McDaniel have cooking with that Miami offense. At this point, If Tua was already considering retirement after that injury-plagued 2022 campaign, you have to think it might cross his mind again in the wake of this latest scary setback.