Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins’ talented yet injury-prone quarterback, has had three confirmed concussions since entering the NFL in 2020.

For a player once hailed as a potential top pick in the draft, his journey has been as bumpy as some of the hits he’s taken on the field. The most recent concussion came last night during a 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, in which Tua took a nasty hit while trying to gain a first down late in the third quarter. He left the game, and the Dolphins quickly confirmed he would not return, citing another head injury.

How did Tagovailoa’s concussion happen against the Bills?

The incident in question saw Tagovailoa scramble for that first down rather than, some would say, wisely sliding to avoid contact. The result? A direct collision with Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin’s arm. It’s moments like these that have led some to question his judgment on the field, although bad luck surely has a factor to play. After being assessed on the sidelines, Tua was escorted to the locker room with a little over four minutes left in the third quarter. Skylar Thompson took his place.

Despite the jarring hit, head coach Mike McDaniel said Tua was in “good spirits” postgame, avoiding a trip to the hospital and heading straight home. Asked about when his QB might return, McDaniel dodged the question, focusing instead on the player’s immediate well-being. “The furthest thing from my mind is what the timeline is.”

Hamlin took to social media to send his love and prayers.

Three concussions for Tagovailoa

As stated above, this latest worry brings Tua’s confirmed NFL concussion tally to three. This is, of course, only counting the ones we know about. The quarterback’s 2022 season was particularly brutal. In Week 3, also against the Bills, he took a hit that left him visibly shaken. At the time, the Dolphins called it a “back injury,” and he returned to the game. Four days later, during a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tua was sacked and showed a “fencing response” – an involuntary and alarming arm movement that often signals a severe concussion. Player safety debates kicked off once again.

That 2022 incident led to the firing of the NFL Players Association’s independent neurotrauma consultant and a reworking of the league’s concussion protocols. Since then, Tua’s health has remained a major topic of concern, not only for the Dolphins but for the NFL at large.

After that season, Tagovailoa admitted to considering retirement, albeit briefly. He revealed that it was his mother who urged him to reconsider continuing his playing career, but he ultimately decided to give it another go, but not without making some adjustments. This included an intense offseason regimen of weight training, and he also took up jiujitsu to learn a technique called “breakfalling,” teaching him how to fall without smacking his head.