Tua Tagovailoa’s injury file has grown longer every year, and the hits have come in every form imaginable. Ankles, ribs, fingers, hip, shoulder, concussions, back issues - the list stretches all the way from Alabama to the Falcons.
The most troubling chapter remains the one that unfolded in 2022, when a “back injury” in Week 3 against the Bills was later viewed as much more than that. The NFLPA is investigating the matter.
Then came the Week 4 collision against the Bengals, when Tagovailoa was slammed to the ground, went rigid, and was carted off on a backboard. He suffered another concussion in Week 16 against the Packers, giving him three concussions that season alone.
But the story started long before the NFL.
At Alabama, Tagovailoa was rarely untouched for long. In March 2018, he broke his left index finger in spring practice after hitting a lineman’s helmet while throwing, though he missed no practice time after quick surgery.
That fall brought a knee sprain against Missouri, a quad injury against Mississippi State, and then a right ankle injury in the SEC championship game against Georgia after Jonah Williams accidentally stepped on him. He later had a tightrope procedure so he could return for the College Football Playoff.
The ankle theme carried into October 2019, when he suffered a high ankle sprain against Tennessee and again chose a tightrope procedure. He missed one game before returning to start against LSU. A month later, his college career ended with the hip injury against Mississippi State that he has become so closely associated with.
The pro level brought its own string of setbacks. Tagovailoa’s rookie season was mostly clean, though he did show up on the injury report with a minor foot issue and later suffered a thumb injury in practice that was expected to cost him one game, a Week 12 matchup with the Jets.
In 2021, he was carted off after a hit against the Bills in Week 2 and later landed on injured reserve with rib fractures. That season also included a fractured middle finger on his throwing hand, which kept him out against the Texans in Week 9, and some uncertainty about his availability for the Ravens on Thursday night in Week 10.
After the turbulent 2022 season, 2023 was the outlier. Tagovailoa stayed healthy for all 17 games, led the NFL with 4,624 passing yards, and finished tied for fifth with 29 touchdowns as Miami went 11-6 and reached the postseason.
The durability didn’t last. In 2024, a concussion in Week 2 against the Bills sent him to injured reserve and cost him four games, and a hip injury in Week 16 against the 49ers ended his season early after he missed the final two games. In 2025, he stayed injury-free, but his production dropped sharply before he was released in the offseason.
Now the injury questions have followed him to Atlanta. In July 2026, Tagovailoa missed time early in his first Falcons training camp because of back tightness, though he returned for the team’s first preseason game. Then, three days before the season opener, he went down in practice with an apparent back injury, leaving Cooper Rush to take all of the first-team reps and putting Tagovailoa’s Week 1 status in doubt.
In Other News...
Miami Secondary Suddenly Faces A Bigger Xavier Lucas Concern
Xavier Lucas absence from the home opener against Florida A&M added a new wrinkle to a Miami secondary that already looks like it may be leaning on youth earlier than expected. Lucas started in Week 1, but he did not play Saturday, and the Hurricanes did not offer any injury details, leaving his status one of the more notable unresolved items as the season settles in.
In the meantime, Miami is asking underclassmen like Bryce Fitzgerald and freshman JJ Dunnigan to absorb more responsibility in the back end while injuries and other absences continue to shape the rotation. Mario Cristobal has pointed to the groups versatility and the broader need for recruiting and development to keep the secondary stocked, but the immediate concern is simpler: how long Miami has to keep patching things together before the answers start arriving. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Secondary Injuries Just Forced A Defensive Shuffle Fans Need To Watch
Miamis defense was already navigating a little turnover in the secondary, and the changes became more obvious against Florida A&M when injuries forced a different look at cornerback and safety. Bryce Fitzgerald slid from safety to cornerback, while true freshman JJ Dunnigan got the start at safety, a sign that the Hurricanes are willing to mix and match early in the season to keep the back end steady.
The bigger concern is the long list of corners on the injury report, with OJ Frederique, Xavier Lucas and Ja'Boree Antoine all sidelined. Some of those players are expected back later in the season, but for now the Hurricanes have to keep adjusting on the fly, and how well that new alignment holds up is something worth watching as the competition level rises. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Landed A Real Shot In A Five-Star Recruiting Fight
Five-star forward CJ Rosser has lined up a full slate of official visits, and Miami is right in the middle of the kind of recruiting race that can reshape a class. The schedule starts at North Carolina from Sept. 11-13, then runs through NC State, Miami, Arkansas, Kentucky, USC and Louisville into late October, giving each program a clear shot to make its case to one of the countrys most coveted prospects.
For Miami, simply getting a visit on the calendar is a meaningful step in a battle that will be decided by fit, feel and follow-through as much as talent. Rosser brings the kind of high-level high school and international experience that usually keeps the conversation moving for months, and the Hurricanes now have their chance to show why they should stay in it deep into the fall. [Read more 🡒]