An emotional Tyreek Hill admitted he felt like crying after linking up again with Tua Tagovailoa at practice.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tagovailoa returned to the field yesterday for the first time since suffering a concussion on September 12 and Hill could not hide his delight.
The star wide receiver has suffered during his absence with the Dolphins going 1-3 over that period and ranking last in points scored.
“He looked great. Felt like old times,” Hill said. “Me and him connected on a few deep shots today, and that kind of got me feeling good. I missed that and I missed him.
“I told him I’ve got to take him and his wife to dinner because I missed him so much. S*** was so beautiful, that s*** almost made me cry today like just having him in the lineup, having him call the plays, having him direct the offense, like just hearing his voice.
“I know that sounds crazy, but he’s a big part of this team.”
In the zone 🔒 pic.twitter.com/bBuucsdx3v
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 23, 2024
Tagovailoa is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, although he will have to practise fully either today or tomorrow to have a shot at playing against the Arizona Cardinals at the weekend. Once he has practised he will then need clearance from an independent neurological consultant.
How many concussions is too many?
Tagovailoa’s return would not come without an element of apprehension, however.
The 26-year-old’s fearless approach, which sees him regularly initiate contact while rushing, has seen him sustain three diagnosed concussions in two years.
While many NFL observers would like him to retire rather than risk serious long-term damage, running back Raheem Mostert feels a change of approach is all that is required.
Mostert said: “Oh yeah, we’ve been talking to him ever since his injury. I’ve been telling him, ‘Hey, you need to work on sliding.’ And we all joke around and laugh, but on a serious note, he knows that he has to protect himself a little bit better and moving forward, only he can control those things.
“We can say those things to him until we’re blue in the face, but one thing that I would say that’s always my saying is, ‘Hey, you can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink, right?’
“We’re going to bring Tua to that water, but we can’t make him drink. He has an understanding of that, and moving forward, he’s going to do his best.”
