When Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered the third concussion of his NFL career in Week 2 versus the Buffalo Bills, many pundits and fans decided they had seen enough. Calls for Tagovailoa to retire came from far and wide, including from Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce. However, not everyone feels that way.
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Former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder is one person who doesn’t subscribe to the groupthink around Tagovailoa. He thinks the fifth-year pro’s tremendous talent and determination will allow the young signal-caller to return to the field in 2024.
“You’re a starting [NFL player]. There’s only 31 other people in the world that can do what you do. Out of six billion… Don’t pick that man’s path for him… I believe, honestly… Tua will still strap it up again this season, and play quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.”
Crowder’s comments came on the latest episode of The Pivot Podcast. Co-host Ryan Clark echoed Crowder’s sentiment, saying those telling Tagovailoa to hang up his cleats are “asking him to change a part of who he is.”
Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve five days after his concussion diagnosis. The Dolphins started former seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson in his stead last week against the Seattle Seahawks, but even he is currently questionable to play versus the Tennessee Titans on Monday.
Despite the potential unavailability, the Dolphins don’t seem to be open to the idea of making new starter additions to their roster anymore.
Miami has no plans to add another quarterback to its roster
With Thompson nursing a rib injury, it wouldn’t have been shocking to see Miami pursue further free-agent options to bolster their QB room. However, for the time being, the Phins appear content moving forward with their in-house options.
When Thompson went down with his ailment against the Seahawks, head coach Mike McDaniel turned to third-stringer Tim Boyle to finish the game. Boyle, a six-year veteran, has played for five different teams in his career and thrown only four touchdown passes in 21 appearances. He also has a whopping 12 interceptions over that stretch.
The next in line of McDaniel’s choice is Tyler Huntley, a QB Miami grabbed in Week 2 from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad after Tagovailoa’s injury. Huntley, a 2022 Pro Bowler, posted a 3-6 record across nine starts with the Ravens from 2021-23. He has eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions to show in his career.
If Huntley is up to speed on McDaniel’s offense, he would potentially be the ‘favorite’ in the clash against the Titans. Yet, with all positives to note, Miami undoubtedly is fighting an uphill battle while Tagovailoa recovers.
