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DAVIE, Fla – Tua Tagovailoa’s left thumb injury lingered into his second week, throwing uncertainty over his ability to start on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
If Tagovailoa, who is officially listed as questionable, cannot play, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick would return for the Miami Dolphins.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores said on Friday the quarterback situation would be similar to last week, in which coaching staff would review the practice film to determine if Tagovailoa was doing good enough health to play and give them the best chance of winning. The Dolphins are comfortable with Fitzpatrick, which gives them the opportunity to lean towards caution if there is still any doubt over Tagovailoa.
“Anytime you have to deal with something that bothers you, there is an impact on the accuracy, the speed. Anytime there is a problem with the hand, there is an impact. Obviously, it does. is part of the assessment, ”Flores said. “Both quarters have practiced so we’ll have to make a decision and we’ll make a decision very soon.”
Tagovailoa said earlier this week that he “felt good” and wanted to play, but he eventually deferred to Flores and the coaching staff, feeling they had his best interests in mind. .
The rookie suffered a left thumb injury, which he describes as “jerky”, when he hit a teammate’s helmet during a follow-up during an attempted pass during practice on the 25th. November. Tagovailoa has been in every workout since, with limited ability, and this week he added a black wrap on his left hand that he gets used to throwing.
The Dolphins’ testing viewing period was limited this week, making it difficult to measure Tagovailoa’s passing accuracy and good grip with his injured thumb, but wide receiver Jakeem Grant said on Wednesday he had looks awesome. keep getting better day by day. He looked exactly the same. He picked up where he left off. “
Flores warned that coaching and training staff would have a better indication of Tagovailoa’s health than his receivers, however.
“I don’t know what kind of rating these players you’re talking about. I wouldn’t give too much importance to their scouting prowess,” Flores said. “We will go through that, and we will make the best decision for the team as we always do.”
The 7-4 Dolphins have shown they can win with Tagovailoa (3-1 as a starter) and Fitzpatrick (4-3 as a starter) at quarterback, and they’ll need a strong performance on Sunday against Cincinnati to stay in. the thickness of the AFC playoff image.
Miami’s backfield will likely be without two other contributors, as running backs Salvon Ahmed (shoulder) and DeAndre Washington (hamstrings) will be considered questionable for Sunday’s game. Running back Matt Breida also missed training with an undisclosed illness before being placed on the reserve / COVID-19 list.
Running back Myles Gaskin, who has been the point guard for much of the season, has missed the last four games with a sprained knee. Flores has indicated that there will be a conversation with coaches and the front office about whether to activate him in the 53-player roster ahead of Sunday’s game. Gaskin has exercised to at least a limited capacity over the past two weeks.
If Gaskin is on, he’ll likely get most of the backfield keys. Otherwise, the Dolphins will likely have to rely on Patrick Laird. The Dolphins also have a fullback in Chandler Cox and two wide receivers in Lynn Bowden Jr. and Malcolm Perry who have some background as a running back.
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