Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is doing well and has been present at the team facility but is not ready to return to football activities, per head coach Mike McDaniel.
Tagovailoa was stretchered off the field after suffering a concussion during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29.
Four days earlier, Tagovailoa's head hit the turf hard in a game against the Buffalo Bills and he was wobbly when he returned to his feet. The quarterback was removed from the game briefly before returning with the team saying he suffered a back injury.
Since the injury in Cincinnati, the NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to modify the league's concussion protocol following a joint investigation into the league's procedures after the first Tagovailoa injury against the Bills.
The league and players' union said in a joint statement Saturday that the Dolphins followed the league's protocol after the injury, but the outcome of the Tagovailoa case “was not what was intended when the Protocol was drafted.” As a result, language addressing abnormality of balance/stability was added to the league's protocol list of symptoms that would keep a player from returning to action.
The Dolphins also lost backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater during Sunday's loss to the New York Jets as he was placed in concussion protocol when spotters noticed him stumble after taking a hard hit.
McDaniel said Bridgewater has not had concussion symptoms. The earliest he could return to practice is Thursday under the NFL's protocol.
The Dolphins (3-2) host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
-- With files from The Associated Press
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