Tua Tagovailoa’s return to Dolphins means 2 things have to be true

In recent weeks, anyone who saw Tua Tagovailoa in street clothes on the Dolphins’ sideline with an earpiece listening to coaching communications wasn’t surprised by what head coach Mike McDaniel revealed Monday: The Miami quarterback wants to continue his NFL career this season.

It’s an awkward situation summarized succinctly before Monday night’s AFC East matchup by ESPN’s Mina Kimes, who said two things can be true. We can all respect the quarterback’s decision to make the best choice for his own life while simultaneously holding our breath every time an opposing player delivers a hit.

Tagovailoa, who sustained a fourth reported concussion in the Dolphins’ Thursday night loss to Buffalo Sept. 12, will miss a fourth straight game when Miami (2-3) visits Indianapolis (3-3) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX), currently on injured reserve. That means as early as Monday, the team can open a 21-day practice window during which the Dolphins can activate him.

These last three weeks, McDaniel said Monday, have produced positive feedback from neurological medical professionals.

“I think they’ve continued to be positive,” said the coach. “There’s still information that he’s seeking this week, and as far as timelines go, I know that he’s not playing this week, and I do expect to see him playing football in 2024, but where that is exactly, we’ll let the process continue since we still have time before you could even entertain anything. We’ll make sure that he’s diligent this week and assess after that.”

After that could mean a return to the field, where Tagovailoa’s backups Skylar Thompson and Tyler Huntley – who joined the team after Tagovailoa’s injury — have compiled only a 71.8 passer rating in three-plus games, with no touchdown passes, an interception and 12 sacks.

If Miami can go on the road and steal a win from the Colts this week, the Dolphins’ subsequent five opponents – Arizona, Buffalo, the L.A. Rams, Las Vegas and New England — are currently a combined 10-19 (.345), certainly a good stretch for Tagovailoa’s return.

But after that, if the Dolphins are going to compete for the playoffs late in the season, and assuming they can get there looking for their first playoff victory since 2000, odds are likely that Tagovailoa will take more hits like the one that sidelined him against Buffalo.

Indeed, it’s looking like two things are going to be true.