The fractured middle finger on Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s throwing hand cost him a second consecutive start.
The Dolphins and coach Brian Flores decided the second-year quarterback was not ready to start against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium and opted again for backup Jacoby Brissett, a league source confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Tagovailoa, who entered Thursday questionable, remains available to back up Brissett.
With Lamar Jackson starting for the Ravens, it’s a battle of South Florida quarterbacks and Palm Beach County high school stars. Jackson, a Pompano Beach native, went to Boynton Beach High, and Brissett attended Dwyer High.
Tagovailoa misses a fifth start in 10 games thus far of a critical 2021 season for the development of the signal-caller the Dolphins used the No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft to acquire. Flores spoke on Tuesday about the impact his injuries have had on the franchise’s evaluation of him.
“Availability is very important,” Flores said. “There’s a lot of factors that play into it. We mentioned it. Some of them are fluky, but it’s not the only factor. It’s the person, the player, the talent. I think Tua is competitive. He’s smart. He wants to be out there. I think he’s getting better. I think we all know that, in order to continue to get better, you need to be out there, get the experience. I think you’ll get that. I think this is another bump in the road for him, and he’ll get through it and he’ll be fine.”
Brissett starts against Baltimore after going 26 of 43 for 244 yards, a touchdown, two interception and a fumble lost while under constant pressure in a 17-9 win against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Brissett has started every game Tagovailoa has missed in 2021, plus most of the Sept. 19 home opener against the Buffalo Bills when a hit by defensive end A.J. Epenesa fractured his ribs. The injury cost Tagovailoa the following three starts.
Tagovailoa initially banged the finger on his left hand when the Dolphins faced the Bills again in Buffalo on Oct. 31. While finishing that game, he was limited throughout the following week of practice and was only available as a backup against Houston on Sunday. Flores cited Tagovailoa’s inability to make downfield throws with the broken finger — an area where Tagovailoa already has limitations when healthy.
Instead of elevating practice-squad quarterback Jake Dolegala to back up Brissett, Flores maintained that the Dolphins would still be better off with the injured Tagovailoa than Dolegala, if needed.
Tagovailoa was also limited throughout the two walkthroughs and full Wednesday practice leading up to Thursday night against the Ravens before being deemed questionable for the game.
