When Will Tua Tagovailoa Return? Dolphins QB Could Be Cleared This Week

It was two weeks ago when Tua Tagovailoa was carted off the field on "Thursday Night Football" after seemingly suffering his second head injury in four days. The Miami Dolphins quarterback missed the team's following contest but has since taken steps toward getting back under center.

When will Tagovailoa return? While the quarterback's timeline to play in a game remains to be determined, he's set to get back on the field Wednesday, NFL.com reports.

Tagovailoa will resume throwing at practice as he works his way through concussion protocol. Tagovailoa is expected to miss at least one more game, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, though he could be cleared from concussion protocol this week.

The Dolphins are scheduled to host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6. Tagovailoa could potentially play in Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tagovailoa has consulted with four independent specialists and is making strides toward returning as Miami's starter, according to the latest report.

Miami was forced to play its third-string quarterback for almost the entirety of their Week 5 game in Tagovailoa's absence. Teddy Bridgewater only attempted one pass in his start against the New York Jets before being sidelined for the remainder of the contest. Bridgewater suffered an elbow injury and was evaluated for a head injury, forcing Miami to play rookie Skylar Thompson at quarterback.

The Jets defeated the Dolphins 40-17, handing Miami its second straight loss.
Bridgewater has a chance to play Sunday against the Vikings. The veteran completed 60.9% of his passes for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception in relief of Tagovailoa in a 27-15 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Miami won its first three games of the season, including a Week 3 upset of the Super Bowl favorite Buffalo Bills. Tagovailoa stumbled after taking a hit and was removed from the game in the second quarter, only to return in the second half.

The neurotrauma consultant who was involved in clearing Tagovailoa during the game has since been fired. The NFL and NFLPA agreed to modify the league's concussion protocol in light of Tagovailoa's injury.