Miami Dolphins quarterback history from Dan Marino to Tua Tagovailoa
Here are the quarterbacks who have started every season for the Miami Dolphins since 2000, the first year after Hall of Famer Dan Marino retired.
Tua Tagovailoa had a stellar year in 2023. The Miami Dolphins quarterback led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, threw a career-best 29 touchdowns and played the entire season.
That last stat is especially encouraging considering his injury history. He was expected to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft until a hip injury ended his career at Alabama prematurely. He had missed every game in his first three NFL seasons and suffered multiple concussions in 2022, some of which led to heavy criticism of the team’s handling of the injuries.
Tua received a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension before this season, making him the highest-paid quarterback in Dolphins history. The team is banking on him becoming the franchise quarterback to lead them back to the Super Bowl.
Here’s a look at Tua Tagovailoa’s history with injuries and concussions, starting with his time in college football:
Tua Tagovailoa college injury: Did Tua suffer concussions at Alabama?
Tua Tagovailoa burst onto the college football scene on the biggest stage by replacing Jalen Hurts at halftime of the 2018 national championship game and leading Alabama to an overtime win over Georgia. He became a full-time starter the following season, but a series of injuries dogged him over the next two seasons. None of them were concussions, at least none were reported.
HAL HABIB: Tua Tagovailoa wants everything more than just everything good
The following season, Tua sprained his left knee and strained his left quadriceps within a month, but only missed a quarter of the game. In the 2018 SEC Championship Game, he suffered an ankle sprain after a lineman stepped on his right foot, causing him to miss the fourth quarter. He underwent surgery and was back for the Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff less than a month later.
Tua suffered another ankle sprain on the same foot in October 2019 and missed a game. He dislocated his right hip in his second game against Mississippi State, which turned out to be the final game of his college career. He reportedly screamed on the field “in pain” before being taken to the locker room.
Before his hip injury, Tua was the favorite to go No. 1 in the 2020 NFL Draft, but ended up going No. 5 to the Dolphins. Many NFL experts believed the Dolphins should have taken Justin Herbert instead, whom the Chargers chose with the next pick.
Where did Tua suffer his first concussion?
It is unknown if Tua Tagovailoa suffered any concussions in his early years as a football player. However, his first recorded concussion occurred during the 2022 season, with the question of which game he plays in now a touchy subject.
During the Dolphins’ Week 3 game against the Buffalo Bills, Tua hit the back of his head hard on the ground after being hit by Matt Milano. The quarterback stumbled while getting up and briefly left the game. Coach Mike McDaniel said Tua was evaluated by an independent neurologist and was released from the NFL’s concussion protocol the next day.
The injury was initially reported as a head injury, but was later reported as a back injury. The treatment of his injury led to an investigation by the NFL Players Association, which ultimately resulted in the neurologist who cleared Tua being fired. This happened a few days later, when Tua officially suffered his first concussion.
Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion triggers reaction in fencing: Why did Tua raise his fingers?
Four days after that Bills game, Tua Tagovailoa suffered an even worse injury during Thursday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the second quarter, the quarterback was thrown hard to the turf and lay there for several seconds with his fingers in the air as if they were frozen. Neurologists call this a “fencing reaction” and it is a sign of head trauma.
Warning: The following video may be disturbing.
Tua was out for two weeks after the Bengals game.
Is Tua prone to concussions?
Brain injuries usually worsen over time, and this wasn’t Tua Tagovailoa’s last concussion of the 2022 season. Ten weeks after returning, Tua suffered another head injury on Christmas Day against the Green Bay Packers. He left the game briefly before returning. After the game, he was diagnosed with another concussion.
Tua would miss the final two games of the regular season as well as the Dolphins’ first playoff game since the 2016 season.
Repeated concussions have ended several NFL careers prematurely, including that of Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman of the Dallas Cowboys. Star quarterback Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts also ended his career prematurely due to ongoing health problems resulting from brain trauma.
How many games has Tua missed due to injury?
Tua Tagovailoa has missed nine regular-season games and one playoff game in his first four NFL seasons. He has played all 17 games plus the playoff game in 2023. Here’s a breakdown:
- 1 game in November 2020: Thumb injury in training before week 12
- 3 games in September-October 2021: Broken ribs at the start of the second week game against the Bills
- 1 game in November 2021: Broken finger on the throwing hand
- 2 games in October 2022: Concussion during the Week 4 game against the Bengals
- The last two games of the 2022 regular season plus one playoff game: Concussion during the Week 16 game against the Packers
How to watch Dolphins vs. Jaguars: Time, TV channel, streaming
- When: 1pm Sunday, September 8
- Where: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: Paramount+ (7-day free trial) | Fubo (7-day free trial)
Streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
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