An update on Dolphins’ Tagovailoa, where he stands and aftermath of Sunday’s concussion

The Dolphins’ quarterback coach said Thursday that it cannot yet be determined whether Tua Tagovailoa will play again this season

And a person with knowledge of the situation reiterated that it’s too early to know whether he will return for the regular-season finale against the Jets.

Because he has had multiple concussions this year, it’s also undetermined if the team would instantly play him after he clears the five steps of concussion protocol. Tagovailoa will have a say in that.

But the Dolphins and doctors don’t want Tagovailoa making any decisions about his immediate or long-term future now. As Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday, doctors believe any “added pressure” is harmful for a person recovering from a concussion.

And there have been no discussions about Tagovailoa retiring. “I just feel like he’s not going to stop playing football,” his brother, Maryland quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa told The Associated Press. “I feel like every opportunity he has, he is going to try to play. I don’t know, it’s just ‘go until the wheels fall off.’”

Asked about the chances of Tagovailoa playing again during the regular season, quarterback coach Darrell Bevell said: “We can’t even answer that question. It’s a day-to-day deal. See how he’s reacting, what medical people will say.”

Tagovailoa remains in the early stages of the five-step concussion protocol system.

He will very likely miss Sunday’s game, and his status for Week 18 against the Jets is in question. Doctors have concluded that he sustained a concussion against Green Bay, which is at least his second this season and potentially his third.

Meanwhile, Tagovailoa has attended team meetings but not position meetings.

“I saw him today,” Bevell said. “He’s seen in the building but with training staff. He’s not with us [in quarterback meetings]. He seems to be OK.”

Tagovailoa, whose symptoms have improved, hasn’t visited with doctors around the country, as he did in the weeks after his Sept. 29 concussion against Cincinnati.

It’s possible he might send test results to other doctors around the country before decisions are made about his availability for the remainder of the season.

Have the Dolphins discussed how to reduce the chances of Tagovailoa sustaining more concussions, such as wearing the type of padded helmet now being used by Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett?

“Not at this moment,” Bevell said. “There’s been conversation about certain things that we’ve huddled up about... It’s important for him to rehab and focus on day-to-day things.”

After Pickett’s second concussion in eight weeks, he switched to a different helmet on the recommendation of team medical staff. Now, he’s wearing a helmet equipped with a special design and padding on the back to cushion Pickett’s head in the event of another violent hit against the ground.

The Dolphins and Tagovailoa are expected to consider using that type of helmet.

McDaniel and Bevell had concerns about Tagovailoa after meeting with him Monday and both encouraged him to see a doctor.

“I go back and watch the game, saw some things in the game and talked to Tua the next morning and from the information we had, thought it was .. enough information to go see the doctor,” Bevell said.

Bevell spoke to Tagovailoa after every series during the game and said “there was nothing” that indicated anything was wrong with him.

Offensive coordinator Frank Smith said he also didn’t suspect Tagovailoa had a concussion Sunday, though “there were some things that you’re going, huh” in terms of the offense, but not anything we witnessed cognitively with Tagovailoa.

Meanwhile, Chris Nowinski — the co-founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation and Boston University’s CTE Center — said on his Concussion Foundation blog that Tagovailoa shouldn’t play again this season but doesn’t need to retire.

“It’s not fair to Tua to label him as concussion-prone, and he does not have to retire,” wrote Nowinski, a former Harvard football player who has never examined Tagovailoa. “A cluster of concussions, or even long-term symptoms, does not prevent a successful return or long career.

“Remember a decade ago when people were predicting Sidney Crosby would need to retire after fighting concussions? He’s still playing…. Tua’s been playing football a long time and never had issues” with concussions before this season.”

Nowinski said “Tua should not play again this season. Full stop. But the Dolphins should make the playoffs, which could give Tua enough time to become asymptomatic and clear the concussion protocol….

“Clinical experience [and my personal experience] suggests that the more concussions one has, and the closer together they are, the longer they take to recover from, and the more likely symptoms are to become permanent. Tua would be further risking his career to return this season, but a doctor may not be willing to tell him that.”

In the past, Nowinski has been critical of both the NFL and the Dolphins for their history on dealing with brain injuries, but he hasn’t criticized the Dolphins for this latest incident. And the NFL cleared the Dolphins in their joint union investigation of an incident against Buffalo, when Tagovailoa stumbled after getting up from a hard hit but wasn’t diagnosed with a concussion.

THIS AND THAT

Defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said linebacker Bradley Chubb is dealing with multiple issues besides a cast on his injured hand. The team’s injury report also listed an ankle injury. His status for Sunday’s game at New England remains in question.

Fullback Alec Ingold also remains very much in doubt with an injured thumb that also required a cast. How much would his absence limit the offense?

“It makes us adjust to what we potentially would want to do, adjust to some concepts,” offensive coordinator Frank Smith said. “Alec is an unsung hero.”

Chubb and Ingold weren’t seen at practice Thursday. Neither was Terron Armstead, who’s now battling a hip injury in addition to toe, knee and pectoral injuries.

▪ Smith declined to say if Robert Jones or Liam Eichenberg would play left guard Sunday.

“You look forward to guys coming back and be able to play well,” Smith said, two days after Eichenberg was taken off injured reserve. “It’s an opportunity for us to get better as we get Liam back on Sunday.”

Eichenberg, who missed the past seven games with a knee injury, said his knee “feels good. There’s a ceiling we haven’t touched yet” as a team.