Tua Tagovailoa’s head injury history after scary concussion against Bills

Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season has barely begun, but there is serious concern about the health of one of the league’s starting quarterbacks. In Thursday night’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left the game with a concussion, another such moment in the young quarterback’s career.

And a moment that has some wondering if his playing days are over.

The initial head injury concerns with Tagovailoa relate to a game against the Bills back in Week 3 of the 2022 season. Tagovailoa attempted a throw to his left while under pressure in the pocket. He fell to the turf, appearing to strike the back of his helmet on the playing surface at Hard Rock Stadium. After the play, Tagovailoa was visibly shaken and he staggered to his feet before falling down:

Tagovailoa was taken to the sidelines, and later the locker room, and the immediate word was that he suffered a head injury and was questionable to return.

However, Tagovailoa returned to the game in the second half, helping lead the Dolphins to a 21-19 victory over Buffalo. Reports began to surface after the game that Tagovailoa had suffered a back injury, not a head injury. He was cleared through the concussion protocol by the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant.

After the game, Tagovailoa told the media that he did hit his head, but that he believed he hit his back first:

Shortly after the game the NFLPA initiated an investigation into how Tagovailoa was handled in that game:

That game was on Sunday, and the Dolphins faced a quick turnaround as their Week 4 game was against the Cincinnati Bengals on the road for Thursday Night Football.

You probably remember what happened in that game.

Early in the second quarter of that contest, Bengals defensive tackle Josh Tupou burst through the Miami defensive line and got to the quarterback, spinning him to the turf for the sack. In the process, Tagovailoa’s helmet bounced off the turf at Paycor Stadium, and it was immediately apparent that the quarterback had suffered an injury. Tagovailoa’s hands drew close to his face, and the passer stayed on the turf as his teammates and later medical personnel rushed to his aid:

Many speculated that Tagovailoa’s hands, frozen by his face, was an example of the “fencing response,” a reaction that occurs when someone suffers traumatic brain injury from a strong impact, such as a concussion, that causes the arms to flex into an unnatural position.

Tagovailoa was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for evaluation but flew home with the team after being discharged. He was officially diagnosed as having suffered a concussion as a result of that play.

Tagovailoa returned for Week 7 of the season, a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. By that time the league and the NFLPA had agreed to new concussion protocols, despite the finding that the concussion protocols in place for Week 3 — when Tagovailoa suffered his head/back injury against the Bills — had not been violated. Of note from the findings: “Following the complete review, the parties concluded that while the step-by-step process outlined in the Concussion Protocol was followed, the outcome in this case was not what was intended when the Protocol was drafted.” (Emphasis in original).

Tagovailoa continued to play for the Dolphins, until Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers. The Miami quarterback played the entire game against the Packers, a game Green Bay won 26-20, finishing the afternoon having completed 16 of 25 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown, along with three interceptions.

He was back in the concussion protocol on Monday. When head coach Mike McDaniel met with the media two days later, he indicated that Tagovailoa had suffered a concussion against the Packers and that Teddy Bridgewater would start in Week 17 against the New England Patriots:

Tagovailoa’s season was over, as he was listed as inactive for Miami’s final two regular season games as well as their Wild Card Weekend game against the Buffalo Bills.

Tagovailoa came back for the 2023 season, having turned to Judo training in the offseason to learn how to fall better, to avoid additional head injuries. He played in all 17 of Miami’s games, leading the team to another playoff berth. While that season ended in Kansas City, in a Wild Card loss to the Chiefs, there was hope that his head injury days were behind him.

Then came Thursday night in Hard Rock Stadium, and another game against the Bills. After throwing his third interception of the night, Tagovailoa had the Dolphins on the move. However, as he scrambled on a play and dove for a first down, an all-too-familiar sight followed: Tagovailoa down on the ground, his hands near his face, and medical personnel rushing to his aid.

He was ruled out of the game with a concussion. You can watch the video of the play in question here.

In the hours since Buffalo’s 31-10 win, many have speculated that Tagovailoa’s playing days should be over, as this is his third confirmed concussion in three seasons, and likely his fourth if you count the initial injury against the Bills in 2022. Tagovailoa did indicate that he considered retirement ahead of the 2023 season, but instead made it back to play for Miami.

After the game, McDaniel talked about his quarterback. “My thought was concern,” McDaniel of his initial reaction to Tagovailoa’s injury. “I was just worried about my guy. Not something you ever want to be a part of, you hope not to.”

Tagovailoa will undergo further testing on Friday, but his head coach indicated that any injury timeline was not his concern at the moment.

“The furthest thing from my mind is what is the timeline,” McDaniel said. “We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are. We will get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from there.

“I’m just worried about the human being, and he’ll drive the ship when we get the appropriate information,” McDaniel added. “but it’s day-by-day health.”