Huntley Looks for Encore in Possible 2025 Audition

Miami Dolphins QB Tyler Huntley was nearly flawless in his last start

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley (18) scores a touchdown as Cleveland Browns linebacker Devin Bush (30) pursues during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The performance of the backup quarterbacks will go down as one of the biggest issues for the Miami Dolphins in 2024, so Tyler Huntley did his part to undo that narrative last week.

The question now is whether he can do it again in the must-win finale against the New York Jets on Sunday and maybe an even bigger question is whether another strong performance might be enough to convince the Dolphins they have their backup quarterback answer for 2025.

As a quick recap, what Huntley did against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 wasn't just quality work for a backup, it was every bit as good as anything a starter could provide.

Exaggeration? Exactly how much better can you get than completing 22 of 26 passes when three of the incompletions were a spike, a drop and a throw-away under pressure? Oh, and then you can add a team-leading 52 rushing yards, including one of the team's top two touchdowns.

It was the best performance by a Dolphins backup quarterback in recent memory, the only other one coming close was Teddy Bridgewater's outing against the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 after he replaced Skylar Thompson in the second quarter.

Looking back in recent Dolphins history, maybe the last backup quarterback performance to rival what Huntley against the Browns came from Brock Osweiler against the Chicago Bears in 2018 when he passed for 382 yards in a 31-28 overtime victory.

But, again, what Huntley do for an encore?

It's not like Huntley has a long resume of games like the one he had at Cleveland. Beyond that, backup quarterbacks don't necessarily often have really good performances back to back — a smart guy might say that's why they're backups.

For the Dolphins, the last time they got two good outings in back-to-backs weeks from a backup quarterback was 2016 when Matt Moore put the finishing touches on the run to the playoffs after Ryan Tannehill sustained a knee injury by leading the way to road victories against the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.

If Huntley can have another good game — he doesn't even to be as efficient as he was against Cleveland — he certainly would put himself in consideration for the No. 2 job next season. That's assuming he isn't there already.

Huntley is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March, but it probably shouldn't surprise anyone to see the Dolphins sign him to an extension before then to at the very least be part of the competition to serve as the backup quarterback next season.

First things first, though, the Dolphins needed 32 points to defeat the Jets at Hard Rock Stadium in Week 14 and there's a good chance they'll need another good offensive output in the rematch.

It's a great stage for Huntley to make a major statement again.