Dolphins Backup QB Situation Still Unsettled

The Miami Dolphins suddenly have a surplus of backup quarterbacks.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) throws the ball during the second quarter against Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. / Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

While he declared that Tua Tagovailoa will be the Miami Dolphins' starting quarterback against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 8, head coach Mike McDaniel wasn't ready to announce who would serve as the backup.

"I'm pretty sure I know who it is, but I want to make sure," McDaniel said before practice Friday. "After this practice, I think we'll know with absolute certainty, but I need to let the full work week play out before I stamp it. I think I know, and I'll let you guys know in my Sunday press conference after the game if I was right in my guess."

The best guess here remains that it will be Skylar Thompson, mainly because he told reporters Thursday that he was fully healed from the rib he sustained against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. He got the start in the team's first game after Tagovailoa sustained his latest concussion.

While Thompson didn't look sharp in that game, he was the one who entered the regular season as the team's No. 2 quarterback, so this would be quite the eye-opener if McDaniel went with either Tim Boyle or practice squad newcomer C.J. Beathard instead — Tyler Huntley, who started the past three games didn't practice all week because of the shoulder injury he sustained in the Week 7 loss at Indianapolis.

"When I face adversity, I want to get back on the field and I want to go attack it," Thompson said Thursday. "For me, that was tough because I couldn't do anything. I had to sit on it...just getting better and preparing myself as if I'm going to be the number two."

When Tua officially is added to the 53-man roster, likely Saturday, the Dolphins will have to make a corresponding move to make space for him, and it very well could involve a quarterback, whether Huntley is placed on injured reserve or Boyle is released.

For Beathard to serve as either the backup or the emergency third quarterback, the Dolphins would have to sign him to the 53-man roster or elevate him from the practice squad, which doesn't appear likely, considering the team needs a long snapper, defensive tackle, and likely a wide receiver because of injuries.

HAVING THREE BACKUP QBs IS HAVING NO BACKUP QBs?

A month ago, Thompson sustained his rib injury against the Seattle Seahawks in his first start for the Dolphins since the 2022 playoff game at Buffalo.

Considering that Thompson has been with the team the past three seasons and beat out Mike White for the No. 2 job in training camp, and the fact that McDaniel isn't stamping him as the guy is not a good look.

This really should be a case where McDaniel declares that Thompson is the backup if he's healthy enough to go—and this is where we'll point out that while he's remaining on the injury report, he was a full participant all three days last week.

The lack of that declaration is a sign that McDaniel is obviously not totally comfortable with Thompson running the offense. This brings us back to the Dolphins' failure in the offseason to properly address the backup quarterback situation.

Boyle and Beathard are both familiar with the Dolphins' scheme, Boyle from his time with Green Bay and Beathard from his time with McDaniel in San Francisco, but Beathard figures to leapfrog Boyle in the pecking order and maybe even take his place on the active roster at some point because he's got a better NFL resume.

Despite his familiarity with the system, Beathard still should be considered a long shot to be the No. 2 quarterback Sunday. If he gets the nod over a healthy Thompson, that would be a massively telling statement in itself.

The bottom line is it would be a surprise — and another bad look — if it wound up being anybody other than Thompson as Tua's backup Sunday.