Tua Tagovailoa's Return This Season May Come In Time To Make Dolphins Relevant In AFC East

Tua Tagovailoa is returning in 2024.

So the constant barrage of opinions about whether the Miami Dolphins quarterback will or should retire can cease now. Your opinion is no longer necessary.

The constant speculation about him voluntarily walking away from the $212.4 million contract he signed in July can stop. He intends to keep collecting.

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 12: Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins lays on the ground after colliding with Damar Hamlin #3 of the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter in the game at Hard Rock Stadium on September 12, 2024 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Tagovailoa Return Not This Week

But other questions remain.

"I do expect to see him playing football in 2024," coach Mike McDaniel said Monday in revealing something that neither he nor the Dolphins as an organization had said previously.

"But where that is, exactly -- we'll let the process continue, since we still have time before he can even entertain anything. We'll make sure that he's diligent this week and assess after that."

Tagovailoa has been on the NFL's injured reserve list because he suffered a concussion during a Sept. 12 loss to the Buffalo Bills and entered the league's concussion protocol that very night.

Sep 12, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) walks off the field with training staff after an apparent injury during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

A Major Lift For The Dolphins

He must miss a minimum of four games while on IR, which means he will miss this week's game against the Indianapolis Colts as his fourth missed start. He can return for the Dolphins' game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8. 

That is the possibility per IR rules. But that is not yet a certainty based on other factors, including full clearance by the involved doctors and the mutual agreement of the Dolphins and the player for what is the best path forward.

But to hear McDaniel speak, the prospect of Tagovailoa returning at some point this year is an uplifting factor for a team needing good news.

"It is exciting that I do believe he'll play football this year," McDaniel said. "I never went down that rabbit hole of whether he would or wouldn't, because I've learned through circumstances that's the wrong question to be asking. 

"The right questions are completely, 100 percent toward the human being and the player, as a result."

Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa talks to head coach Mike McDaniel during training camp. (Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports)

Dolphins A Factor In AFC East

That's fair.

But the football season has questions also. And those start with whether the Dolphins can stay afloat while waiting for Tagovailoa's return? 

The club is 1-1 in games Tagovailoa started and 1-2 in games Skylar Thompson and then Tyler Huntley started at quarterback in Tagovailoa's absence.

If Tagovailoa misses only one more game, returning six weeks following his concussion, the Dolphins would have 11 games left in the season – plenty of time to correct course, compete for a playoff spot and perhaps even the AFC East title.

The Bills currently lead the division with a 3-2 record. But that team has encountered troubles, losing two consecutive games after starting 3-0.

The New York Jets have been on a roller coaster, with dips so low as to lead to the firing of head coach Robert Saleh. 

Rest Of AFC East Struggling

That club has the same 2-3 record as the Dolphins with a Monday Night matchup against the Bills coming within hours.

The Patriots are frankly not a factor now and probably won't be the rest of the season as they try to rebuild a dynasty that has fallen on hard times the past three years or so.

So the Dolphins can still be a factor in 2024.

It would be interesting if the team decides Tagovailoa needs an extra week to re-acclimate to practice in preparation for a game, which could mark the Nov. 3 game at Buffalo as the one Tagovailoa returns.

Tagovailoa has a history of taking notable hits against the Bills dating back to the 2022 season and, yes, including the hit that sent him to the injured reserve list in September.