No one had the kind of season Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa did in 2022. In Week 2, his six-touchdown performance against the Baltimore Ravens put him in the early MVP conversation. In Week 3, he defeated Josh Allen and the mighty Buffalo Bills. In Week 4, however, Tagovailoa's success came to a screeching halt.
Tagovailoa was stretchered off the field after taking a hit to the head against the Cincinnati Bengals and taken to the hospital after exhibiting a disturbing fencing response on the field. Tagovailoa quickly became the story in the sports world, as the quarterback appeared to suffer a head injury five days earlier against the Bills, but was allowed to reenter and finish the contest. It goes without saying that suffering two concussions in the same week is dangerous.
Miami's quarterback returned to the lineup in Week 7, stringing together five straight wins as things began to return to normal. However, in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers, Tagovailoa suffered another concussion that forced him to miss the final two weeks of the regular season and the playoffs.
Over a month later, Tagovailoa remains in concussion protocol, and is unable to participate in next week's Pro Bowl activities. Some have serious concern for Tagovailoa's well-being after suffering what may have been three concussions in four months. However, his parents, Diane and Galu, said Tagovailoa will be back with the Dolphins in 2023.
"Oh, he comes back," Galu said, via KHON2. "Yeah, he comes back. That's their guy. I mean, they love him. We love them and what they're doing and how (they are) helping him with his recovery and everything else, you know, trying to get him back, still going through his protocol, but we're grateful for them, too. Very thankful for Miami, the organization, the owner, GM, and head coach. Mike (McDaniel), I mean, that guy's special. Very special head coach."
With an intriguing quarterback carousel that may contain the likes of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, no one can say for sure what will happen this offseason. Especially when you factor in that the Dolphins don't have a first-round pick in this year's draft due to tampering centered around Brady. But Tagovailoa made huge strides in 2022, and is still on his rookie deal.
Despite missing four games, Tagovailoa completed 64.8% of his passes for 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns and just eight interceptions while going 8-5 as the starter. He found his footing in the league under McDaniel, and his parents are expecting continued improvement next season.
