Tua Tagovailoa is back slingin' the ball at Miami Dolphins' practice after suffering a concussion 13 days ago ... and while it's a step in the right direction, the quarterback is still in protocol.
Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa Returns Home After Suffering Head Injury, 'In Good Spirits'
The 24-year-old was spotted in Dolphins gear on Wednesday at the Baptist Health Training Complex ... wearing his helmet and throwing the football.
Marcel Louis of ESPN says the QB also launched a couple of deep passes 25 to 30 yards downfield ... which is great to see, considering the frightening sight after hitting his head against the Bengals in Week 4.
Tua Tagovailoa throwing at Dolphins practice for the first time in two weeks
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) October 12, 2022
He also did some downfield throwing during the portion of practice open to the media — roughly 25-30 yards pic.twitter.com/6ivEYaGLKE
Of course, the team is not going to rush Tua back -- especially considering the hit he took in the Bills game four days prior.
Even though it looks like Tua's close to returning to the field, the Dolphins announced that Skylar Thompson will be the starting QB for Sunday's game against the Vikings.
Full replay of the Tua (possible) concussion play. He got hit by Matt Milano and hit the turf with his head. pic.twitter.com/29dqNyJ45L
— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) September 25, 2022
The Dolphins have been getting ripped for the way they handled the situation -- with head injury expert Chris Nowinski telling us Tagovailoa should never play for Miami again.
The NFL and NFLPA have modified the protocol after looking into Tua's concussion evaluation, adding ataxia as a "no-go" symptom which is an "abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue."
The new rule went into effect last Sunday.