Tua Tagovailoa officially clears concussion protocol and starts against the Cardinals

Tua Tagovailoa will officially be back this week.

Head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters in his press conference Friday that Tagovailoa has cleared concussion protocol and will begin Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.

“After we went through the process and had an office where we could contact him, he then met with an independent doctor and was completely … removed from the record,” McDaniel said.

“I think he’s done an outstanding job, nothing short of that control what he can controlMcDaniel added. “And through that, he did his best to take care of himself while also being the leader of this football team — just in a different way. He was fully committed to all of this. But he also realized that he is not interested in becoming a coach any time soon – his love is playing football. I think he’s eager, like everyone else. If you have questions about how valuable he is, I think it’s pretty obvious. I think the team is looking forward to playing football and having him there. He’s looking forward to playing with his teammates and I’m really happy for everyone involved.”

McDaniel also noted that Tagovailoa consulted several medical experts before returning to the field.

“I think the most important thing is for anyone concerned enough to ask: Tua met with a litany, a laundry list and a long list of medical experts. And none of them recommended that he not play football,” McDaniel said. “So that means 100 percent of them supported the continued journey. And I think this is as simple a season as possible. There’s a lot of things out there – I can’t tell you how many people or if many people have asked him. But I know it was his confidence to make the decision in accordance with medical experts who fully support his work. So I think everyone feels good about that.”

Tagovailoa has been on injured reserve since suffering a concussion against the Bills in Week 2. He has completed 65 percent of his throws for 483 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions so far this season.

While Miami’s full injury report will be released later Friday, McDaniel said he is “very optimistic” about Tyreek Hill’s availability, even though the receiver appeared in Thursday’s report as limited with foot issues. Safety Jevon Holland (hand) and linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah (biceps) will also play against Arizona.