Tua Tagovailoa's injury-plagued 2024 season could be over.
Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters on Wednesday that Tagovailoa will be limited in Wednesday's practice and they are operating with the assumption that Tyler Huntley will start in Week 18 against the New York Jets, but Tagovailoa could start if his hip gets better.
Tagovailoa, 26, missed four games earlier in the 2024 season due to a concussion, his third diagnosed concussion in the past two years. The Dolphins placed him on injured reserve and went just 1-3 without him during that stretch.
And in Week 17, facing a crucial matchup against the Cleveland Browns with Miami's slim playoff hopes hanging in the balance, he was made inactive with a hip injury.
It was somewhat of a surprise, given that he suffered the injury two weeks prior against the Houston Texans and not only finished that game, but also played in a Week 16 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
"I mean, it's good. It's just like anyone else on the team and anyone else around the league," Tagovailoa told reporters regarding his hip in the week leading up to the Browns game. "You get banged up little bit towards the ending of the year, so just got to take care of that."
It apparently wasn't good enough to give it a go against Cleveland, however, ultimately a 20-3 win that kept Miami's playoff hopes alive. The Dolphins need a win over the Jets and a loss by the Denver Broncos against the Kansas City Chiefs to make the playoffs.
Tagovailoa's struggles staying on the field aren't just a short-term concern -- the Dolphins made a huge commitment to him ahead of the 2024 season, signing him to a four-year, $212.4 million deal. For better or worse, the Dolphins and Tagovailoa are joined at the hip for at least the next several years.
When healthy, that's looked like a good thing. Just how frequently those good times will be interrupted due to injury, however, has become the biggest question of Tagovailoa's career.