When Tua Tagovailoa spoke to reporters earlier this week, the Miami Dolphins quarterback said he’s been symptom-free since the day after he suffered a concussion in Week 2 and he’s spent the last five weeks throwing, studying, and prepping for his return.
But even if he’s physically ready for his Week 8 return, Tagovailoa hasn’t worked with Dolphins receivers in over a month. So head coach Mike McDaniel doesn’t think it’s the best idea to throw the entire playbook at the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Tagovailoa’s first game back.
“You don’t go and ride the Tour de France on the first time you’ve picked the bike back up, you know?” McDaniel told reporters Wednesday. “So that’s kind of the way we’re approaching it and excited to see him start the process.”
What a dialed back version of the Dolphins’ offense looks like remains to be seen.
The goal, according to McDaniel, is “that everyone is playing their most comfortable for the first time since Week 1.” And Tagovailoa’s confidence and comfort is the team’s top priority.
“He needs to be the captain, he needs to be the leader of this team, and he needs to feel complete ownership of his game,” McDaniel said. “You’re trying to build on what the team is doing right now and then utilize his strengths.”
On Monday, McDaniel said that he warned Dolphins players not to think of Tagovailoa as the “savior” who will rescue the offense after it spent four games sinking in quicksand. But the excitement of Dolphins players has been palpable.
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who hasn’t caught a touchdown pass since Week 1, said hearing Tagovailoa’s voice in practice nearly brought him to tears. And running back Raheem Mostert said the connection between Tagovailoa and Hill in their first practice in over a month “just looked like they didn’t skip a beat.”
McDaniel wants the Dolphins offense to walk before it starts to run, but the sooner the unit can get going, the better.
