Dolphins say Tagovailoa will begin practicing. What team has told him and more details.

MIAMI — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel on Monday confirmed what was widely expected: Tua Tagovailoa will return to practice on Wednesday, with the hope that he can play on Sunday at home against Arizona, if he clears the final stages of concussion protocol.

“The reason why he’s coming back now is the medical experts have deemed it safe for him to return,” McDaniel said. “The resounding thing is he needed some time ... We’re doing everything in the hope of everything going well so that he can play on Sunday.”

While the Dolphins hope Tagovailoa can play against Arizona (1 p.m. ET, Fox), that decision cannot be made until two doctors authorize that he’s able to go through the final stage of concussion protocol later this week.

When the Dolphins decided to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve, that assured he would be sidelined for at least four games, by league rule. For the Dolphins, those four games covered five weeks, because the Dolphins were off during Week 6.

McDaniel said neurologists said Tagovailoa needed time to recover from the concussion, but didn’t specifically say if he needed five weeks or needed to be placed on injured reserve. The IR decision was made because the Dolphins were told he needed extended him to recover in the wake of his history of concussions, and because of roster management factors.

This is the first week that Tagovailoa is eligible to practice; the Dolphins have 21 days to activate him once he begins practicing. McDaniel made clear that the hope is he will play Sunday if he clears protocol.

McDaniel suggested Tagovailoa now knows he cannot take unnecessary chances that will leave him at risk. McDaniel was asked about a play in which Tagovailoa lowered his head on a run against the Steelers after he came back from his first confirmed 2022 concussion.

“He has a better understanding of his responsibility to the entire organization,” McDaniel said. “You don’t need one this time around. He understands he has to do everything in his power to be on the field. Part of that is protecting himself. I have to make sure he’s properly protected, but I can’t control everything. Regardless of the first down conversion he’s trying to get, he has to be careful how he engages in contact.”

McDaniel told reporters to ask Tagovailoa, not the coach, if he would wear a guardian cap to lessen the chances of a concussion. The Dolphins cannot order him to wear it because that’s prohibited by the NFL’s collectively bargained labor agreement.

McDaniel added from a “schematics” standpoint, “I wouldn’t think things would be altered that much” in terms of plays that involve Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins (2-4) went 1-3 in Tagovailoa’s absence, which was marked by poor quarterback play, but McDaniel said: “He’s not the savior. There are a lot of things that have to be looked at ... to get better. It’s not, ‘Tua’s here. He’s going to fix the issues.’”

The Dolphins, based on medical recommendations, decided to be cautious after Tagovailoa sustained the fourth, and possible fifth concussion of his life on Sept. 12 against Buffalo. ESPN reported Monday that Tagovailoa never had any symptoms after this concussion, aside from the alarming fencing of his hand when the concussion happened.

Tagovailoa remains in the NFL’s five step concussion protocol system because injured reserve rules do not allow him to practice, which is the final step of clearing protocol, before his 21-day practice clock begins.

Phase 4 of concussion protocol is noncontact training drills: “The player is encouraged to continue cardiovascular, strength and balance training, team-based sports-specific exercise and participate in non-contact football activities.”

Phase 5 is full football activity/clearance: “The player is finally cleared by the club doctor for full football activity involving contact. The player must be examined by the independent neurological consultant assigned to his club.”

If the neurological consultant agrees with the club physician that the player’s concussion has been resolved, then the player can participate in practice and contact without restriction.

The Dolphins will need to clear a spot on the 53-man roster to activate Tagovailoa.

McDaniel said he’s not sure who would back up Tagovailoa on Sunday. Tyler Huntley left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury, and the extent of the injury is still unclear, McDaniel said. Skylar Thompson continues to deal with rib injuries. Aside from Tagovailoa, Tim Boyle is the only other fully healthy quarterback on the roster.

Other issues

In the wake of Tyreek Hill being targeted just twice in the game and catching just one pass for eight yards, McDaniel indicated he spoke with Hill on the plane ride home from Indianapolis.

Hill “is a model competitor with this team and has no problems what’s going on in the game as long as it’s done in the name of victory,” McDaniel said. “It’s very frustrating as a receiver to lose and not necessarily feel like you had a moment where you could help dictate the outcome.”

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