Tua Tagovailoa's broken ribs will sideline him for more than Week 3.
The Dolphins quarterback was placed on injured reserve Saturday and will miss a minimum of three games. While coach Brian Flores didn't put a timetable on Tagovailoa's recovery, outside of ruling him out for Sunday versus the Las Vegas Raiders, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the hope is he'll be ready to return once he's eligible in Week 6.
The second-year starter exited in the first quarter of Miami's blowout loss to the Bills last weekend following a takedown by A.J. Epenesa. Tagovailoa had already been sacked twice and completed just 1 of 4 passes. Veteran Jacoby Brissett struggled in relief, throwing for 169 yards and an interception on 40 attempts while taking four more sacks. It constituted his most game action in 21 months.
On Sunday, the dual-threat QB will make his first start since Week 17 of the 2019 campaign. He'll then face off against the Colts, where he spent the previous four seasons, and the Buccaneers, who are led by former teammate Tom Brady.
Tagovailoa can be activated before Miami plays at Jacksonville on Oct. 17. He'll first have to work his way back from yet another injury. He was drafted No. 5 overall in 2020 amid an extensive rehab for a fractured hip that claimed the final games of his college career. The lefty also missed a start during his rookie year because of a jammed thumb. His best-case scenario moving forward is to return after his team battles the unbeaten Raiders and a pair of 2020 playoff teams.
