Dolphins' Mike McDaniel says Tua Tagovailoa 'unlikely' to play vs. Jets - ESPN

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is «unlikely» to play in Sunday's regular season finale against the New York Jets, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.

Backup quarterback Tyler «Snoop» Huntley is expected to make his fifth start of the season in Tagovailoa's place.

Tagovailoa missed last week's win over the Cleveland Browns with a hip injury that he originally suffered in Week 15 against the Houston Texans. He played through it the following week, but aggravated the injury in Miami's win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. It was deemed «not safe at all» for him to play against Cleveland.

McDaniel did not commit to Tagovailoa being able to play next week if the Dolphins were to clinch a playoff berth, but he confirmed that the hip injury was not a bone or a bruising issue.

«I think Tua wishes it was just a pain issue,» McDaniel said. «It's quite literally being able to have the strength to do what we ask him to do, as well as protecting himself from very serious injury if we don't treat it appropriately. I wouldn't say it's a bruise, but it's kind of a unique muscle issue as a result of the hip.

»It's been more of consistent check-ins to see how far it's gone, and whether or not it's quite literally safe to play football in a responsible fashion."

This would mark the sixth regular season game Tagovailoa has missed this season — the most in his five-year NFL career — after he played in all 18 of the team's games in 2023. Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.1 million extension with the Dolphins in July after a drawn-out negotiation that spanned most of the offseason.

Huntley is in his first season with the Dolphins and made three starts earlier this season while Tagovailoa was on injured