How many concussions has Tua Tagovailoa had? Dolphins QB suffers third official head injury vs. Bills

The Sporting News

•
How many concussions has Tua Tagovailoa had? Dolphins QB suffers third official head injury vs. Bills image

Some plays in the NFL are going to stick in your mind forever. Most of them are good, like when your favorite player scores a big touchdown, or your team wins the Super Bowl. Others are bad, like when Damar Hamlin collapsed to the turf in 2023. 

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can impress with his throwing ability. Unfortunately, the young QB has already racked up several significant injuries in his NFL career. Tagovailoa has a history of concussions and has had plays where he has gotten up and tried to walk away but couldn't, and others where the camera zoomed in on him and his hands were shaking and curling up. 

Tagovailoa and the Dolphins are playing the Buffalo Bills for Week 2's 'Thursday Night Football' game. The Miami QB had been struggling in the game, but did his best to get this team a first down in the third quarter by taking off on a run. Tagovailoa should have slid but instead went head first, trying to gain more yards, and he almost launched into Hamlin's shoulder, helmet first.   

Tagovailoa was taken to the sideline and could walk off under his own power. He returned to the locker room and was rather quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game due to a concussion. 

MORE: 5 best Dolphins QB options | Dolphins QB depth chart | Tua Tagovailoa contract details

How many concussions has Tua Tagovailoa had? 

It took the team six minutes to rule Tagovailoa out for the rest of the Week 2 game. It was explicitly ruled a concussion, marking the third official concussion of his career. 

MORE: How long is Tua Tagovailoa out? | What is 'fencing posture?'

College career at Alabama

Tagovailoa is no stranger to injuries. He had several ankle injuries and a nasty hip injury while playing for the Crimson Tide. While Tagovailoa was never diagnosed with a concussion in college, analysts who covered him don't rule out that he had at least one. 

Week 3, 2022 vs. Bills

Tagovailoa hit the ground hard ahead of halftime of the game. It was assumed that he had a concussion from the impact, so viewers were surprised to see him back in the game in the second half. Tagovailoa had cleared concussion protocol and instead was dealing with back spasms. 

Week 4, 2022 vs. Bengals

Tagovailoa suffered his first concussion in Week 4 of the 2022 season, though many believe he suffered one the week before, too. In Week 4, Tagovailoa and Miami were taking on the Cincinnati Bengals. Tagovailoa went down with the injury in the second quarter and had to be stretchered off. This was a Grade 1 concussion. 

MORE: NFL Concussion Protocol, explained

Week 16, 2022 vs. Packers

A few weeks later, he returned to game action against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tagovailoa played through most of the season, but he suffered another concussion against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day. Once the diagnosis of a second concussion was confirmed, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season, which was just a few more weeks. This was ruled a Grade 3 concussion. 

Every concussion is a bad concussion, but they reportedly get worse the more you get. One of the more prominent retirements due to concussions in recent memory was Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Keuchly. He was in the prime of his career and retired after his third concussion. 

Dolphins fans are hoping Tagovailoa doesn't have to follow suit.

The Sporting News

The Sporting News Photo

Beyond the score: The sports world explained. The Sporting News has been a trusted sports media publisher since 1886, delivering the news, insights and entertainment that fans around the world need to know.