DAVIE, Fla. — Miami Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be listed as questionable for Sunday’s game at the New York Jets because of an injury to his left thumb suffered during Wednesday’s practice.
Coach Brian Flores said he will have to watch Tagovailoa’s practice film to judge his effectiveness with that thumb before making a final decision on if he will play Sunday. Tagovailoa did practice every day this week in a limited capacity and wants to play Sunday.
“Anytime there’s anything, you have to make a declaration,” Flores said. “We have to watch the film and see what he looks like. We just figured ‘questionable’ was the best declaration for him.”
It’s worth noting that there is no longer a “probable” injury designation, so as Flores alluded to, if there’s any chance that Tagovailoa could miss Sunday’s game because of the thumb injury the Dolphins would need to list him with an injury designation, with “questionable” being the lightest one.
Flores did say Thursday in reference to the thumb injury that Tagovailoa was “banged up a little bit,” but “I don’t think this is something that we’re too, too worried about.”
Since Tagovailoa is a left-handed passer, any injury to his left thumb — even a minor one — is worth watching. Coming off being benched for the fourth quarter in the Dolphins’ 20-13 loss to the Denver Broncos last week, Tagovailoa is eager to bounce back on that performance, and the expectation is that he will start as long as he’s deemed healthy enough to play.
“I can’t say specifically for Tua or any player on exactly what they can play through or not play though,” Flores said. “I know he’s a tough kid. He wants to play, and we’ll see how this goes.”
The Dolphins will be without a couple of offensive starters for sure, with running back Salvon Ahmed, who has started the past two games, being ruled out with a shoulder injury, and right guard Solomon Kindley being unable to play with a foot injury. Receiver Jakeem Grant is questionable with a hamstring injury.
Miami’s running back room continues to be a revolving door due to injuries and ineffectiveness. Myles Gaskin, the Dolphins’ starting running back for much of the season, was designated to return off injured reserve and returned to practice in a limited capacity this week. But Flores was noncommittal on him playing Sunday vs. the Jets, noting they would have to watch the practice film to see how effective he was moving on his knee.
The expectation is that Gaskin will return to action either this week or next week. Final word if he will be activated to the 53-man roster will need to come by Saturday afternoon, and if he can play, he would appear to be the Dolphins’ lead back. But with Ahmed out and Gaskin uncertain, veteran Matt Breida and second-year back Patrick Laird could be counted on to lead the Dolphins’ backfield versus the Jets.
