Breaking Down the Backup QB Battle

Head coach Mike McDaniel says there's a heated competition between Mike White and Skylar Thompson for the right to be Tua Tagovailoa's top backup

Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White (14) throws the football during training camp at Baptist Health Training Complex. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Tua Tagovailoa won't play in the Miami Dolphins' preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday night, barring a major surprise, but the quarterbacks will be in the spotlight nonetheless.

Exactly how the playing time will be divvied up between Mike White and Skylar Thompson is unknown, but what is clear based on Mike McDaniel's comments this week is that how each perform might have a bearing on who becomes Tagovailoa's top backup come regular season time.

White handled that role last season after coming over from the New York Jets as an unrestricted free agent and his regular season action consisted of six late game-appearances in blowouts and six pass attempts.

“That competition is I think, something I’m very proud of in that those two competitors really gave it their best shot last year, and I thought it was a pretty close race with Mike winning it," McDaniel said Wednesday. "They’ve continued to develop their games, so they continue to do really good things, and each individual, I think is better than where they were last year.

"So I see that as ... it’s neck and neck, and far from me even thinking about who’s going to win that job, and I think that’s a compliment just because they’re both developing very well."

TRAINING CAMP AND THE PRESEASON PLAN

Thompson played a lot more in the preseason than White last year, but that was largely the result of White ending up in the concussion protocol in the second game against the Houston Texans after taking a hit.

In the preseason opener last year, White and Thompson each played 33 snaps, so we can expect that same kind of distribution.

It also should be noted that White and Thompson aren't going to be playing with many first-team offensive players in the preseason opener and beyond because players like Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert and Terron Armstead, to name four, likely won't be out there when Tua isn't in the lineup.

That makes camp practices an important part of the evaluation process, along with comfort level and confidence in each of the quarterbacks.

From a practice standpoint, neither White nor Thompson nas been particularly overwhelming this summer, understanding that McDaniel's coaching style is about positivity when it comes to public comments about his players. It's also true that both of them were solid in the second joint practice with the Falcons on Wednesday.

"The best of both worlds, a lot of times, for me, is getting guys opportunities in several games," McDaniel said, "but then making sure that in those opportunities, that a rhythm is established, that they have enough time to play and that’s kind of really the way I look at it. It’s abstract, like most things, but you’re trying to problem solve so you can give guys an opportunity to win the job, because it’s not for me to settle, it’s for them.”

HOW MANY QBs ON THE 53-MAN ROSTER?

The Dolphins kept Thompson on the 53-man roster last year after they decided to go with White as the top backup to Tua, but there was an incentive there that no longer exists.

Teams no longer have to carry a player on the 53-man roster to use him as a emergency third backup on game day as was the case last season, so that player could be on the practice squad.

Keeping three quarterbacks under the new rule could be viewed as somewhat of a luxury, considering that Thompson didn't take a snap last season. But it also could play out that the Dolphins will feel more comfortable having three quarterbacks on the roster instead of taking the chance that whoever they would cut would be picked up by another team.

If the Dolphins eventually decide there's no difference between White and Thompson, another factor could be the fact that cutting White would save $3.5 million against the salary cap. But it's not a significant enough amount to make that kind of decision solely on that and, besides, the Dolphins also have cleared enough cap space that they're fifth in the NFL in that department now after all their signings.

In terms of regular season experience and performance, White has the clear edge in both areas.

Thompson's NFL experience consists of two regular season games and one playoff game in 2022 — against Minnesota and the New York Jets, followed by the playoff game at Buffalo — and his performance looked like that of a typical rookie seventh-round pick (62.2 passer rating).

Before last year's mop-up work, which produced an 118.1 passer rating on those six passes, White started seven games for the Jets the previous two seasons and topped 100 in passer rating in three of those starts.

The bottom line here is that White's work this summer has been pretty underwhelming, he clearly has shown more as an NFL quarterback and it would remain a pretty big shocker if he didn't end up being the Dolphins' No. 2 quarterback.

McDaniel's comments just added some intrigue to the situation.