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Marcel Louis-JacquesESPN
MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins have several injury questions heading into Sunday’s wild-card matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the largest of which centers on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Coach Mike McDaniel said Monday that Tagovailoa has not yet been cleared for any football activity after entering the concussion protocol Dec. 26. The team hopes to get further clarity on his status by Wednesday, per McDaniel, who added that there haven’t been any setbacks and that the quarterback is in good spirits despite missing Miami’s final two games of the regular season.
There is no official timeline on Tagovailoa’s return, as McDaniel has reiterated multiple times over the past two weeks that the Dolphins will take things day by day with the QB, as advised by medical professionals.
“When he’s cleared to practice, he will practice,” McDaniel said. “Until then, I’m not doing anything.”
Rookie Skylar Thompson started at quarterback for the Dolphins against the New York Jets in Week 18, leading them to a playoff-clinching win that snapped a five-game losing streak.
McDaniel said the 2022 seventh-round pick suffered some bumps and bruises in the contest, but he stopped short of naming a starter between Thompson and veteran Teddy Bridgewater, who suffered a dislocated pinkie finger on his throwing hand in Week 17 but progressed enough to be active in a backup capacity last week.
Running back Raheem Mostert‘s status for this Sunday’s game is also unclear. He broke his thumb in the win over the Jets, leaving the game in the second half and wearing a brace over his hand as he left the stadium.
McDaniel said he believes Mostert’s surgery for his thumb is scheduled for Monday.
“It’s a serious injury; it’s hard to know if he’ll be able to play this week,” McDaniel said. “I never put anything past Raheem Mostert … but it is a significant break of his thumb.”
Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead has missed Miami’s past two games, and his status for Sunday is also uncertain. The same goes for right tackle Brandon Shell, who left the win Sunday with knee and ankle injuries and did not return.
The Dolphins and Bills split their regular-season series and are meeting in the playoffs for the first time since 1998 — a 24-17 Dolphins victory.
