Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa cleared concussion protocol on Friday (October 25), allowing him to be activated for Sunday's (October 27) game against the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters.
"After going through the process and having a practice where we were able to initiate some contact with him and then he met with an independent doctor and was fully cleared. He was out of the protocol," McDaniel said via NFL.com.
McDaniel's announcement came one day after Tagovailoa, 26, got in a full workload of practice on Thursday (October 24) and four days after the coach had revealed plans to return the quarterback from injured reserve.
"Our plan is to start him practicing on Wednesday, and the clearing doesn't come until after some of the activity," McDaniel said USA TODAY. "But we're obviously doing so in the hope of everything going well so he can play Sunday, but that will be to be determined."
Tagovailoa, 26, suffered his third documented concussion in three seasons during the Dolphins' Thursday Night Football blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. The former Alabama standout reportedly has no plans to retire and already consulted specialists on the next steps to take after suffering his third documented concussion in two years, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed Rapoport on September 15.
Tagovailoa suffered his third documented concussion in three seasons during the Dolphins' Thursday Night Football blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. The former Alabama standout reportedly has no plans to retire and already consulted specialists on the next steps to take after suffering his third documented concussion in two years, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed NFL Network's Ian Rapoport on September 15.
Several former NFL players, including Prime Video Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez and former Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tagovailoa's Dolphins teammate during his rookie season in 2020, called on Tagovailoa to consider retirement amid his latest concussion. The former first-round pick suffered his third diagnosed concussion in three years during the third quarter of the Dolphins' blowout Thursday Night Football loss to the Buffalo Bills after attempting to go head-first into safety Damar Hamlin.
Tagovailoa previously said he considered retirement after suffering multiple concussions during the 2022 season before returning for a 2023 campaign in which he recorded career-best passing numbers.
“Yeah, I think I considered it, you know, for a time, having sat down with my family, having sat down with my wife and having those kind of conversations,” Tagavaolia said at the time via the New York Post. “It would be hard for me to walk away from this game with how old I am and with my son. It’s my health. My body. I feel like this is what’s best for me.
“I always dreamed of playing as long as I could to the point where my son knew what he’s watching.”