Tua Tagovailoa injury update: Dolphins QB out with finger injury, Jacoby Brissett to start vs. Texans

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has reportedly suffered yet another injury setback, one that will keep him out of Miami’s Week 9 home game vs. the Texans.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported early Sunday that the second-year quarterback was limited in practice this week with rib and finger injuries, adding that the team waited until pregame warmups to decide whether Tagovailoa would start. ESPN’s Adam Schefter also reported Tagovailoa has a “small fracture” in the middle finger of his throwing hand, which ultimately kept him from starting today’s game.

That said, Tagovailoa isn’t completely out of commission for Sunday’s game. Tagovailoa, who was deemed “questionable” in Miami’s injury report, is not listed on the team’s inactive list. Multiple reports indicate he will come in as needed in a backup capacity to Jacoby Brissett, tabbed as Sunday’s starter vs. the Texans.

Tagovailoa apparently hurt his hand during the Week 8 loss to Buffalo. He played every snap in the 26-11 loss, and the Dolphins did not announce any injury to the quarterback in-game.

Tagovailoa has played in only five games this season, missing most of the Week 2 game vs. the Bills and all of Weeks 3-5 due to broken ribs suffered early in the loss to the Bills. To date, he has completed 103 of 157 passes (65.6 percent) for 1,040 yards and seven touchdowns to five interceptions. He also has 15 rush attempts for 62 yards and two more scores. He has been sacked seven times this season.

The good news is Brissett has ample experience leading the Dolphins offense with Tagovailoa out of commission. He has led Miami to an 0-3 record — not including the time he came in as a backup vs. the Bills in Week 2 — in replacement of Tagovailoa. He has completed 104 of 159 passes (65.4 percent) for 883 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions on the season. He also has 16 rushes for 57 yards and another score.

This is the latest in a laundry list of injuries Tagovailoa has suffered throughout his career, including as a college quarterback at Alabama. It comes at a bad time early in his career, considering the Dolphins were heavily tied to Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.

The second-year signal-caller likely needs to have a strong finish to the 2021 season if he wants to persuade the Miami front office he is the team’s quarterback of the future moving forward. Yet another injury will only make it harder for Tagovailoa to make his case.

Source: Read Full Article