Tagovailoa discusses hip, vows to play in postseason if get there: ‘Yeah, I’m frustrated’
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa vowed to play in the Dolphins’ wild card game in Buffalo if Miami makes the playoffs and said the decision to sit out last Sunday’s game against the Browns and likely this Sunday’s game against the Jets was a team medical decision.
“Hell yeah, I’m frustrated,” he said, while not disagreeing with or complaining about the medical staff’s decision to sit him, and while throwing his full support behind Tyler Huntley, who’s expected to start Sunday’s game at the Jets (4:25 p.m., Fox).
Tagovailoa made clear that he didn’t want to miss a game with a hip injury that coach Mike McDaniel said is “muscle” related. McDaniel indicated that doctors have said he would be at risk of a more severe injury if he plays at this time, and players cannot overrule the doctors.
Tagovailoa said the hip injury — which was sustained Dec. 15 against Houston and re-aggravated Dec. 22 against San Francisco — improved this week. But doctors don’t believe he’s ready to play.
“When it comes to pain, I’m good with all of that,” he said. “I thought I could have played last week, but the doctors said no. That’s all it was. They’re giving it as much time to heal.
“It’s just the restriction of what the doctors are saying I can’t do. If the cards play out the way we should and the way we think we can, I am going to be available next week. There are no ifs, ands or buts. I’ll be playing. That’s for sure… I’m feeling a lot better.”
Tagovailoa’s injury is not a bruise or strain or hairline fracture or chip in the bone. The Dolphins believe he would be at risk of a more severe injury if he gets hit in the hip at this particular time.
What precise injury is he at risk of if he gets hit hard in that particular spot on the hip?
“I don’t know if anything could be worse than what it is right now. This is what the doctors are telling me is right for myself. I want to be out there. That’s for sure. It’s just a risk for myself to be out there if something were to happen again.”
Tagovailoa had surgery on the same hip at Alabama, but this injury is unrelated to that one and in a different spot.
“The one at Alabama was definitely a lot different,” he said. “This is the more challenging one I had to go through out of all the injuries with my ankle, playing a week out of surgery. It wasn’t as bad as this one feels like. We’ve been able to look at MRIs and keep track of it.”
Asked if he’s frustrated, he said: “Hell yeah, I’m frustrated. I’m frustrated. It’s tough for any competitor to have to sit out when the season is on the line and you know you can do more. But that just tells you how much trust and respect we have for Snoop [Huntley]. The defense has been ballin’ as well.”
Tagovailoa played in all 17 games last season, but that’s unusual. Sunday’s game will be the sixth he misses this season — four while in concussion protocol and two because of the hip.
“The biggest thing and it has been my thing since last year, obviously, the concussions have been a thing, and off of that, other injuries that have stacked up with the concussions to where I’m missing games,” he said. “That’s the frustrating part. That’s something to take into consideration for myself, the team, moving forward to stay available for more than one season. That’s for sure. For more than one season.”
So what can he do that he hasn’t done already?
“That’s something to think about this offseason, that’s something to talk with the coaches. Essentially it falls on my plate, protecting myself better and things I already know.”
Though McDaniel said Tagovailoa has made “some progress” this week, he is likely not going to play on Sunday because he must “be able to have the strength to do what we ask him to do as well as protecting himself from a very serious injury.” And he cannot do either at the moment.
McDaniel said surgery would not solve the problem.
“It’s not a surgical solution,” McDaniel said, adding the goal is “to stop aggravating this by pushing through and try to regain strength” in the hip. That process, McDaniel said, takes “time.”
But have doctors told the Dolphins that Tagovailoa should sit out weeks and weeks to heal?
“It’s been more consistent check-ins to see how far it’s gone and if it’s safe to play football in a responsible fashion,” McDaniel said.
Skylar Thompson, who’s on the practice squad, is expected to be Huntley’s backup at the Jets.
Tagovailoa closes the regular season with 19 TDs, 7 INTs, a 101.4 passer rating (tied with Josh Allen for seventh in the league heading into Week 18) and league-leading 72.9 completion percentage.
In order to make the playoffs, the Dolphins need to win at the Jets and Kansas City needs to win at Denver.
“We still have an opportunity,” he said. “This is also one of those things where you just show who you are as a teammate. If you want to be part of the organization next year, when things are hard, you really show who you are and when things are not, anybody can act however they want to act. That just tells it a lot.”
News, notes
Receiver Jaylen Waddle said his knee injury has improved and his intention is to play Sunday; McDaniel said he’s optimistic about that.
Safety Jordan Poyer (finger/knee) said he’s playing Sunday.
McDaniel said the status of left tackle Terron Armstead (knee) would be determined Sunday morning.
This story was originally published January 3, 2025 at 1:59 PM.
