MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins gamers had been ecstatic to see quarterback Tua Tagovailoa return to the apply area Wednesday, maybe no yet one more than vast receiver Tyreek Hill.
Tagovailoa practiced for the primary time since sustaining a concussion Sept. 12. He was positioned on injured reserve the next week and missed the Dolphins’ subsequent 4 video games.
The NFL’s main passer final season is eligible to come back off IR this week, and Hill mentioned Tagovailoa’s return introduced a well-recognized feeling again to the apply area.
“He seemed nice. Felt like previous occasions,” Hill mentioned. “Me and him linked on a number of deep photographs at the moment, and that form of acquired me feeling good at the moment. I missed that and I missed him. I instructed him I’ve acquired to take him and his spouse to dinner as a result of I missed him a lot. S— was so stunning, that s— nearly made me cry at the moment like simply having him within the lineup, having him name the performs, having him direct the offense, like simply listening to his voice.
Editor’s Picks
2 Associated
“I do know that sounds loopy, however he is an enormous a part of this group.”
Miami is 1-3 within the 4 video games Tagovailoa has missed. Throughout that stretch, the Dolphins’ offense ranks final in scoring, thirty first in offensive anticipated factors added and twenty ninth in yards per recreation.
Hill’s manufacturing has tapered with out Tagovailoa. He is on tempo for 833 receiving yards, which might be his lowest whole since his rookie season.
After connecting along with his quarterback on a number of deep passes throughout Wednesday’s apply, Hill’s pleasure carried into the locker room. Extensive receiver Jaylen Waddle mentioned Tagovailoa accomplished nearly each go he threw to Hill, and that after they’re on the identical web page, “it usually results in large performs.”
“It was stunning. It was so stunning,” Hill mentioned. “I wager when you go ask each man on this locker room, simply say, ‘Hey, did Tua join with Tyreek at the moment?’ And if they are saying, ‘Yeah,’ the subsequent query must be, ‘What was his response proper after that?’ I simply had an enormous cheese on my face as a result of it simply felt so good. Like y’all do not know what it does to me.”
Tagovailoa was injured after initiating contact to finish a scramble towards the Buffalo Payments in Week 2. Each Tagovailoa and coach Mike McDaniel agreed that the quarterback has a duty to guard himself on the sector shifting ahead.
Hill joked that he and his teammates inform Tagovailoa “on a regular basis” to slip, and that Dolphins followers ought to cheer for him when he does. Operating again Raheem Mostert echoed Hill’s sentiment, including that Tagovailoa is in the end the one in command of his actions on the sector.
“Oh yeah, we have been speaking to him ever since his harm,” Mostert mentioned. “I have been telling him, ‘Hey, you have to work on sliding.’ And all of us joke round and giggle, however on a critical observe, he is aware of that he has to guard himself a little bit bit higher and shifting ahead, solely he can management these issues. We are able to say these issues to him till we’re blue within the face, however one factor that I’d say that is all the time my saying is, ‘Hey, you’ll be able to carry a horse to water, however you’ll be able to’t make him drink, proper?’
“We will carry Tua to that water, however we won’t make him drink. He has an understanding of that, and shifting ahead, he’ll do his finest.”
Tagovailoa was a restricted participant in Wednesday’s apply. To play Sunday, he’ll must be a full apply participant both Thursday or Friday. As soon as he practices in full, he can meet with an impartial neurological guide assigned to the group and obtain closing clearance to play.
The No. 5 choose within the 2020 NFL draft mentioned he has been symptom free because the day after he sustained the concussion, the third recognized one in every of his NFL profession.
