Thursday’s night’s contest saw the Dolphins’ record drop to 1-1 but the main takeaway was quarterback Tua Tagovailoa exiting the game with a concussion. Miami’s franchise passer has a history of head injuries, and this latest one will lead to a depth move being made. 
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said after the game that Tagovailoa – who went down late in the third quarter during a scramble which produced a collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin – will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. Tagovailoa’s history with head injuries is a factor which will be taken into consideration when evaluating his recovery process, which does not have a timeline at this point. McDaniel added he and Tagovailoa will speak later today.
After a college career which included several ailments (one of which was a concussion), the Alabama product dealt with at least two more concussions during the 2022 campaign. That cost him five combined regular and postseason games and led to signficant changes to the NFL’s concussion protocol. The 26-year-old’s ability to progress through the protocol will now be critical as he and the team evaluate his rehab. Until more is known about Tagovailoa’s condition, no decision regarding an IR stint will be possible.
In the meantime, Miami will move forward with Skylar Thompson under center. The 2022 seventh-rounder served as third-stringer behind Mike White last season, one in which Tagovailoa remained healthy. White was let go during roster cutdowns this summer, however, paving the way for Thompson to operate as QB2 in 2024. He will be counted on to lead the offense moving forward, but the team is now eyeing an addition to serve as healthy depth.
“The team and organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said during a Friday press conference (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “There’s a reason he is our backup quarterback. We will bring in someone. I’m expecting Skylar is the next man up.”