Tua Tagovailoa will miss at least four games after landing on injured reserve this week. However, there is no timetable for the Miami Dolphins quarterback's return, according to the Washington Post, nor has there been any "definitive" decision by Tagovailoa regarding his long-term future, contrary to a recent report indicating the Pro Bowler has "no plans to retire" following his third documented concussion in two years.
NFL Media reported Sunday, just three days after Tagovailoa was forced out of a Thursday night loss to the Buffalo Bills, that the quarterback "will be back" once medically cleared from his latest head injury. It registered as a sudden counter to suggestions by former NFL players, including Tony Gonzalez and Richard Sherman, that Tagovailoa should immediately contemplate retirement due to the effects of brain trauma.
Yet two people "familiar with [Tagovailoa's] deliberations cautioned over the weekend it's too early for [any decision] to be definitive," according to the Post. Why? "Even if Tagovailoa's initial inclination may be to continue playing," an evaluation of the quarterback's short- and long-term health has yet to fully play out.
On that note, the NFL's concussion protocols puts "return-to-play decisions entirely in the hands of medical experts, completely excluding teams' coaches and football staffers from having any say in such matters." That means if and when Tagovailoa is cleared to return to the field, it'll come only and exclusively after both Dolphins doctors and an independent neurological consultant make such a recommendation.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, meanwhile, has been adamant about avoiding any talk of a potential return timeline, including speculation about a potential retirement, out of concern for Tagovailoa's recovery.
"It's important he gets healthy day by day," McDaniel told reporters last week, "and in that, the actual best thing I can do is not try to assess what this even means from a football standpoint. ... Ironically, I think there's a lot of people that have a vested interest in the Miami Dolphins, people that want to [be supportive], but quite literally, questioning timelines, that gives forth anxiety ... trying to assess what this means for playing."