Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa practices for first time since suffering concussion against Bills | News, scores, highlights, statistics and rumors

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa practiced Wednesday for the first time since suffering his third diagnosed concussion six weeks ago.

Tagovailoa’s return included passes to teammates during practice, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.

He has not yet been activated from injured reserve, but coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Monday, the team hopes the quarterback can return for Week 8 against the visiting Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

He will still need to go through the NFL’s concussion protocol before being cleared to play against the Cardinals. The last step before this release is participation in “contactless football activities,” according to ESPN Marcel Louis Jacques.

Tagovailoa told reporters earlier this week that he has not had concussion symptoms since Sept. 13, the day after the loss to the Bills, according to the team’s transcript.

He also said that he has been preparing “as if I were preparing to play every game every week”, practicing footwork and studying game plans before even returning to training.

Tagovailoa said multiple times during Monday’s media availability that he was willing to accept the concussion risks involved in returning to the field.

“How much risk do we take when we get up in the morning to drive to work?” Tagovailoa asked reporters. “Get in a car accident, I don’t know. Everything I think is at risk… There’s risk in anything and everything and I’m willing to play the odds, that’s it.”

Tagovailoa will return without the Guardian Cap, the soft covering players can wear over their helmets that the NFL has reported is linked to reduced concussion risk. Instead, he is planning to wear a special quarterback helmet with a higher safety rating than a standard helmet with a cap over it, Louis-Jacques reported.

In six weeks without Tagovailoa, the Dolphins went 2-4 and scored a total of just 40 points. If he returns on Sunday, it will likely be an immediate boost to Miami’s offense.