South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Tua likely active, but will he start?
The Miami Dolphins will have both Tua Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick available for Sunday’s home game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but it’s unclear which quarterback will start.
Tagovailoa’s agent Lee Steinberg posted on his Facebook account Saturday morning that he’s traveling to Miami to watch Tagovailoa play against the Bengals (2-8-1).
That doesn’t mean the rookie quarterback will start, but it’s a good indication that he’ll be active, especially since Miami didn’t downgrade Tagovailoa to doubtful, as it did last week, or promote rookie quarterback Reid Sinnett from the practice squad.
The Dolphins (7-4) continue to be extremely guarded about whether Tagovailoa’s thumb injury has healed enough for the former Alabama standout to return as the team’s starter. Because Tagovailoa has been limited by the injury he suffered in practice last Wednesday, Fitzpatrick has taken a significant chunk of Miami’s first-team reps on offense, and it’s possible he could start his second straight game and eighth of the season.
The Dolphins have prevented reporters from watching Tagovailoa throw the football during practice this week by limiting access, so it is difficult to tell how much the injury is still affecting his throws.
“Any time you’re dealing with something that’s bothering you, [it has an] impact on accuracy and velocity,” coach Brian Flores said Friday. “Obviously, any time you have an issue on the hand, there’s some impact.”
Flores has vowed that when healthy, Tagovailoa, would continue as Miami’s starter.
Tagovailoa has led the Dolphins a 3-1 record in his four starts this season, completing 61.9% of his passes while throwing for 602 yards (6.2 yards per attempt) and six touchdowns. He has a 100.1 passer rating and has been sacked 10 times.
Fitzpatrick has led the Dolphins to a 4-3 record in his seven starts, completing 68.5% of his passes (7.5 yards per attempt), throwing for 1,909 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has thrown eight interceptions and been sacked 14 times. Fitzpatrick has a 93.1 passer rating for the season.
Gaskin activated
Myles Gaskin, who has missed the past five games because of a left knee injury he suffered in October, was taken off injured reserve Saturday. He leads the team in rushing yards (387).