Answering the biggest questions as Tua Tagovailoa nears his return

MIAMI - Dolphins backmost Tua Tagovailoa is acceptable to marque his instrumentality to the shot tract connected Sunday nighttime against the Pittsburgh Steelers (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), conscionable implicit 3 weeks aft sustaining a highly publicized concussion and successful the aftermath of an NFL probe that produced swift argumentation change.

Tagovailoa said Wednesday helium lost consciousness erstwhile helium was sacked and deed his caput connected the crushed precocious successful the archetypal fractional against the Bengals successful Cincinnati connected Sept. 29. He does not retrieve being carted disconnected the field.

Tagovailoa was concisely hospitalized for the concussion but flew location with the squad that night. He was kept disconnected the shot tract for the adjacent 2 weeks.

The incidental came 4 days aft Tagovailoa deed his caput connected the crushed erstwhile shoved aft throwing a walk successful a Week 3 matchup against the Buffalo Bills. He stumbled connected his mode backmost to the huddle and was evaluated for a concussion astatine halftime, but helium was allowed to instrumentality to the crippled aft it was determined a antecedently reported backmost wounded caused the stumble. The NFL amended its concussion protocol aft reviewing the situation.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins, who opened the play with 3 consecutive wins, person since mislaid 3 successful a row.

"There's things you tin bash successful the locker country to support the guys encouraged, to support the guys motivated," Tagovailoa said Wednesday. "But it sucks. As a competitor, I privation to beryllium retired determination with the guys. I privation to beryllium capable to spell retired determination and assistance our guys triumph games.

"And that's a unspeakable feeling that I could lone ticker from the sidelines."

Tagovailoa besides missed 3 games past play due to the fact that of a rib injury, and erstwhile helium returned, the Dolphins mislaid their adjacent three. That script taught him a lesson.

"I conscionable gotta beryllium myself. I'm not the savior of this team," Tagovailoa said. "I don't conscionable travel successful and we commencement winning games. It's a squad deal.

"The defence gets america stops, the discourtesy goes and puts points connected the board, and the defence tin assistance enactment points connected the board, arsenic good arsenic peculiar teams. So for me, I conscionable look astatine it arsenic coming into this week and conscionable beryllium myself. Don't effort to unit anything. Don't effort to marque plays that aren't determination -- conscionable springiness our playmakers the shot and fto them spell to work."

That's a captious realization for Tagovailoa, who said throwing the shot distant to debar a deed is not thing helium has done good successful the past. Dolphins manager Mike McDaniel said helium has spoken with Tagovailoa astir learning erstwhile to concede a play and determination connected to the next.

That volition beryllium conscionable 1 of the storylines Sunday nighttime arsenic Tagovailoa returns to a squad and a league that person changed arsenic a effect of his injuries. He needs to regain his early-season signifier if the Dolphins are to enactment successful contention successful the AFC East, and teammates person been encouraged by what they've seen implicit the past mates of weeks. But Tagovailoa's instrumentality is astir much than wins and losses, it's besides astir the protocol helium has cleared and the concussion argumentation that has changed. -- Louis-Jacques

What were the concussion protocol steps Tagovailoa had to wide to instrumentality to the field?

Tagovailoa went done a five-step process earlier returning to the tract aft sustaining a concussion. This is what it looks like, paraphrasing from the return-to-play information of the protocol:

Phase 1: Rest, and past bounds -- oregon debar -- carnal and cognitive activities if they aggravate symptoms. Introduction of constricted stretching and balancing enactment and moving to airy aerobic exercise.

Phase 2: Gradual advancement toward cardiovascular exercise, dynamic stretching and much equilibrium work. Neurocognitive and equilibrium investigating tin beryllium administered. If the results are interpreted arsenic backmost to baseline (pre-concussion) levels, Phase 2 is satisfied.

Phase 3: Increased cardio workout to mimic sport-specific activity, on with supervised spot training. The subordinate tin signifier with the team, doing sports-specific exercises, for 30 minutes oregon less.

Phase 4: The subordinate tin beforehand to non-contact shot activities specified arsenic throwing, catching and running. Another circular of neurocognitive and equilibrium investigating is administered to corroborate results stay astatine baseline.

Phase 5: A nine doc indispensable wide the subordinate for afloat shot activity, including contact. Then, an autarkic neurological advisor (INC), assigned to the squad by associated statement betwixt the NFL and NFLPA, indispensable concur with the squad doc that the concussion has resolved. At that point, the subordinate is wide to play successful his team's adjacent game. -- Seifert

When was Tagovailoa allowed to enactment successful each shot activities, and what has helium done connected the signifier field?

Tagovailoa was cleared to enactment successful football-specific activities connected Oct. 12 and afloat cleared concussion protocol connected Oct. 15. In the 3 practices earlier helium was cleared, Tagovailoa took idiosyncratic reps during presumption drills but ceded starter and backup reps to Skylar Thompson and Teddy Bridgewater, respectively, during squad drills. McDaniel said helium was impressed by how intently Tagovailoa was capable to absorption passim signifier contempt his hands-off role.

This week, Tagovailoa returned to the starter's workload. -- Louis-Jacques

What person Tagovailoa's teammates seen from him successful the past 2 weeks?

Tagovailoa has been contiguous passim the Dolphins' installation for the past 2 weeks, successful meetings and successful the locker country -- wherever teammates accidental helium has been his emblematic self.

"Just to person him backmost retired there, his energy, his leadership, the mode that he's capable to person amusive playing this crippled passim it all, man, it's conscionable amazing," wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. "It's ever amusive to person your member backmost retired determination connected the field."

Tight extremity Mike Gesicki said Tagovailoa took plentifulness of intelligence reps portion helium was retired and said helium "didn't skip a beat" erstwhile helium returned to practice. -- Louis-Jacques

What should expectations beryllium for Tagovailoa's return?

McDaniel said helium doesn't expect to spot immoderate rust from Tagovailoa and joked the left-handed backmost didn't commencement throwing with his close manus during his clip distant from the field. The Dolphins can't spend to easiness him backmost successful presumption of a simplified crippled program -- not connected the heels of a three-game losing streak portion the remainder of the AFC East kept winning.

The Steelers ain the league's third-worst walk defence done six games, truthful Miami's way to triumph volition apt see Tagovailoa throwing the shot frequently. -- Louis-Jacques

What has changed successful the NFL argumentation since Tagovailoa's concussion?

The NFL and NFLPA targeted the specific clause of the protocol that allowed Tagovailoa backmost connected the tract aft helium stumbled against the Bills successful Week 3 but came backmost to play successful the 2nd half. Moving forward, players who show ataxia -- uncoordinated assemblage question caused by an wounded to the encephalon -- are diagnosed with a concussion and prohibited from returning to the game.

Like each players who endure a concussion, they indispensable walk done each phases of the protocol earlier being cleared to play successful a aboriginal game.

Previously, players who stumbled the mode Tagovailoa did against the Bills would beryllium examined to find the cause. If the root was neurological successful nature, the subordinate would beryllium prevented from returning. In Tagovailoa's case, aggregate doctors attributed it to backmost and ankle injuries helium had suffered earlier successful the game.

The caller protocol doesn't necessitate crippled doctors to marque the favoritism betwixt neurological oregon different causes. All specified instances are present an contiguous "no-go." - Seifert

What happens if Tagovailoa gets different concussion?

That would evidently beryllium a superior and worrisome circumstance, but successful presumption of the NFL/NFLPA protocol, thing would change. He would person to walk done each of the aforesaid phases successful bid to beryllium cleared for a instrumentality to the field. - Seifert