Tua Tagovailoa officially clears concussion protocol, set to start vs. Cardinals

Tua Tagovailoa will officially be back this week.

Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters in his Friday press conference that Tagovailoa has cleared concussion protocol and will start Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.

“After going through the process and having a practice where we were able to initiate some contact with him, and then he met with an independent doctor, and was fully cleared … out of the protocol,” McDaniel said.

“I think he’s done an outstanding job not doing anything but controlling what he can control,” McDaniel added. “And so in that, he’s put his best foot forward to take care of himself as well as to be the leader of this football team — just in a different way. All of that, he’s been fully engaged. But he’s also become very aware that he is not interested in becoming a coach anytime soon — his love is playing football. I think he’s eager, as everybody is. If you had any questions about how valuable he is, I think it’s pretty obvious. I think the team is excited to play football and have him be a part of it. He’s excited to play with his teammates and I’m very happy for all of those involved.”

McDaniel also noted that Tagovailoa consulted with several medical experts before returning to the field.

“I think the most important thing is that for anybody that’s concerned enough to ask, Tua met with a litany, a laundry list, a long list of medical experts. And zero of them recommended that he shouldn’t play football,” McDaniel said. “So, that means 100 percent of them were supporting the continued journey. And I think that is as easy of a relay as possible. There’s a lot of things out there — I can’t tell you how many people or if many people asked him. But, I know that’s what drove his confidence, is making the decision in step with medical experts who fully support what he’s doing. So, I think everybody feels good about that.”

Tagovailoa has been on injured reserve since suffering a concussion against the Bills in Week 2. He has completed 65 percent of his throws so far this season for 483 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

While Miami’s full injury report will come out later on Friday, McDaniel said he’s “very optimistic” about Tyreek Hill’s availability despite the receiver popping up on Thursday’s report as limited with a foot issue. Safety Jevon Holland (hand) and linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah (biceps) are also set to play against Arizona.