Dolphins weighing options as Tua Tagovailoa remains sidelined
Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed his second straight practice Thursday due to an illness — which coach Brian Flores stressed is not related to COVID-19.
Tagovailoa came down with a fever earlier this week, causing him to miss Wednesday’s session and appear on the injury report.
But it sounds like Flores and the Dolphins do not expect Tagovailoa — Miami’s backup to starter Ryan Fitzpatrick — to miss Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks at Hard Rock Stadium.
“The most important thing is his health and trying to get him better. Again, not COVID-related. We test every day and continue to test every day,” Flores said of Tagovailoa ahead of Thursday’s practice.
“In this climate, we don’t want to take any chances so he won’t practice [Thursday].”
If Tagovailoa is unavailable for Sunday’s game against the 3-0 Seahawks, the Dolphins (1-2) may have to look elsewhere for a backup quarterback.
The Dolphins released former backup Josh Rosen before the season, leaving undrafted rookie Reid Sinnett, who wears Ryan Tannehill’s old jersey No. 17, as the only other quarterback on the roster. He is currently on the team’s practice squad.
“Reid has practiced well. We’ve gone through all the contingency plans here, and obviously Reid is part of it,” Flores said.
Flores did not appear too fond of considering rookies Malcolm Perry or Lynn Bowden Jr. — both former college quarterbacks who are now receivers — as potential options.
“Quarterback in college and quarterback in the National Football League are two different things,” Flores said.
If Tagovailoa is unable to suit up for Sunday’s game, Miami could opt to add a free-agent quarterback like former practice squad quarterback Jake Rudock, who has been around the team for much of the year.
“We’ll have someone if Tua is not ready. We’ll see how it goes,” Flores added. “We obviously have to plan for the worst-case scenario, but we’ll see how this goes.”
Give Tua a series?
Before Miami’s 31-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday night, Tagovailoa and his potential debut was the talk of many NFL pregame shows.
ESPN analysts Keyshawn Johnson and Marcus Spears were adamant about Tagovailoa integrating his way into his NFL career by first playing some snaps in games instead of just getting a start ahead of Fitzpatrick.
ESPN’s Ryan Clark added to the discussion by recently saying: “You need to find a way if you’re Brian Flores to see your future on the field right now. Other people have packages for backup quarterbacks. Why not you?”
To the idea of playing Tagovailoa in a limited fashion, Flores said: "As far as a series, that’s something we haven’t talked about but that could change. But as a No. 2, he’s one play away from being in the game.
“So, he has to be ready to go. It could be a series. For whatever reason, he has to be ready to go, for which he’s prepared that way.”
The Dolphins' plan remains — for now — to keep Tagovailoa as a backup to Fitzpatrick.
“We do a Tua breakdown every week in some form or fashion. And it’s really the same answer,” Flores said.
"He’s doing well. He’s improving in meetings and walkthroughs. When he gets reps in practice, he’s making good throws, good decisions. He’s learning. He’s getting better. I think every time he’s on the field for a game, something comes up where he has a question or wants to have a conversation. We’ve got projects for him that he’s working on as well as practice. And he’s just going to continue to get better.
“When the opportunity presents itself, he’s doing all the things he can do if and when that opportunity comes. He’s ready.”
———
©2020 the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Visit the Sun Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at www.sun-sentinel.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
