Oct 19, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) reacts while walking off the field after the game against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

2025 has been a challenge for Tua Tagovailoa. The embattled starting quarterback has been the central piece of a Miami Dolphins meltdown. His slow start to the season was exacerbated after Tyreek Hill was lost for the year due to a knee injury. Miami headed into Week 8 with a 1-6 record, the league's 25th-ranked scoring offense and its 27th-ranked passing offense.

All this has head coach Mike McDaniel's job and Tagovailoa's viability as a franchise quarterback in question. Because the football gods know only cruelty, they placed another obstacle in the veteran gunslinger's path before a matchup with a 3-3 Atlanta Falcons team forced to start Kirk Cousins in place of starter Michael Penix Jr.. An illness cropped up Sunday morning, leaving his left eye bloodshot and swollen.

That's a brutal card to deal a player who stood in front of assembled media and told them he sometimes can't see open wideouts downfield even with two good eyes. So what could be ailing the Dolphins quarterback?

What happened to Tua Tagovailoa's eye?

Both the Dolphins and the broadcast have referred to the swollen organ as an undisclosed "illness." No official cause of the swelling has been revealed, but that hasn't stopped folks from speculating a familiar cause: conjunctivitis, otherwise known as pink eye.

That is, of course, the opposite of a medical diagnosis. We'll have updates if we have more information from official sources.

Who is the Dolphins' backup quarterback?

Miami's QB2 is former No. 2 overall draft pick Zach Wilson, because this is a franchise that serves to taunt the football gods who smite it so often.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: What's wrong with Tua Tagovailoa's eye?

Reporting by Christian D'Andrea, For The Win / For The Win

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