In one play, everyone was reminded of the narrative about Tua Tagovailoa through the 2023 offseason.
Tagovailoa suffered multiple concussions during the 2022 season, including a scary one on a Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. He said he considered retirement after the season though ultimately decided to continue his football career.
On Thursday night, he had another scary moment.
Tagovailoa ran for a first down on a fourth-and-4, and in the moment he wasn’t sliding. Tagovailoa put his head down and was hit hard by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin and stayed down. He tried to get up but couldn’t. He avoided those types of hits during last season but the hit Thursday took him out of the game.
Tagovailoa got up, limped off the field and was taken right back to the locker room. Skylar Thompson replaced him.
In July, Tagovailoa and the Dolphins signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract. The worries about Tagovailoa and his health weren’t forgotten, but they had faded deep into the background after he played in every game last season. After Thursday night, all of the worries about Tagovailoa and his health will be renewed.