Is McDaniel Right to Trust Thompson?

Miami Dolphins Coach Mike McDaniel Expressed Confidence in Backup QB Skylar Thompson

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

The Miami Dolphins will head into their Thanksgiving night game with only two quarterbacks on their roster for a fourth consecutive game amid renewed questions about their current backup.

The Dolphins are on a three-game winning streak and feeling confident about their chances of making a late push for the playoffs in large part because of the performance of Tua Tagovailoa since his return from his latest concussion, but it took only two plays last Sunday to renew concerns the offense will fall apart if something were to happen to him.

And the question was asked point blank to head coach Mike McDaniel this week: Does he trust Skylar Thompson?

The question came after Thompson entered the game against the New England Patriots in the fourth quarter with the Dolphins in total command, leading 31-7 after a fourth-down stop. Two plays later, the score was 31-15 after a botched handoff between Thompson and rookie Jaylen Wright resulted in a fumble return for a touchdown.

That play was enough to convince McDaniel to reinsert Tagovailoa into the lineup to close out the 34-15 victory.

While it looked like the fumble was the result of a misplay by both players — the handoff might have been a tad higher than ideal, but Wright still could have secured the ball — it put a spotlight on Thompson because he did nothing to squash the concerns that surfaced after his highly forgettable outing in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Thompson didn't finish that game because of a rib injury and Tyler "Snoop" Huntley started the next three games. Thompson was on the injury report for all those games, but Thompson was a full participant in practice the week of the Indy and this was after McDaniel never once gave him the vote of confidence that would have come with a simple statement saying that Thompson was his starter if healthy while Tagovailoa was on IR.

Which brings us back to the question of trust.

“Yeah, I trust Skylar," McDaniel said. "I think the situation this past game was unacceptable from just the whole unit. I think that from our perspective, I think across the board that’s not to our standard from the way we came out of the huddle to the execution of plays and then to give up points on an offensive play. And I won’t get into the nitty gritty of – I’m not going to point fingers at a microphone, but ultimately, that falls on everybody involved including the coaches that we can’t have that collective effort. That wasn’t him just responsible for, but my reaction towards it wasn’t strictly based on him; it was more of a tonality with the whole group.”

THE BACKUP QB PLAN MOVING FORWARD

Tua's performance since his return is the biggest reason the team is on a roll, but do the Dolphins have to resign themselves to their season being over in the event of another injury?

Or is it worthwhile to consider other alternatives?

It's clear that Huntley wasn't the answer, based on his body of work during his three starts — losses against Tennessee and Indianapolis, and a win at New England — and Thompson is still in prove-it mode.

For those thinking Daniel Jones might have represented an upgrade — and we weren't necessarily in that camp — that ship has sailed now that he has signed with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.

So here's a suggestion out of left field, one we just KNOW is going to appeal to everybody (heavy sarcasm).

What about bringing back Teddy Bridgewater for another go-around?

After playing for the Detroit Lions last season, Bridgewater retired to become head coach at his old high school, Miami Northwestern, and his team currently is involved in the state playoffs though dealing with an investigation into the use of a potentially ineligible player.

More importantly, Bridgewater put out on social media that he's interested in playing again.

So many QB jobs available for me after we make this state title run. I can’t wait to return back to the NFL 🙏🏾💯.

— Coach Bridge (@coach_h2o) November 19, 2024

Bridgewater is a free agent and would be free to sign with any team.

While the Dolphins offense absolutely would have a drop-off without Tua, it likely wouldn't be nearly as bad with Bridgewater as the one we witnessed in the four games he missed this game.

Just look back to 2022 when Bridgewater passed for 683 yards in his five appearances. But because he never played as much as three full quarters in any of his five games and two appearances lasted three plays and one play, he actually played the equivalent of about nine quarters.

Do the math and you'll see that 683 yards in nine quarters projected over a full 17-game season is more than 5,100 yards. And Tyreek Hill's numbers with Bridgewater at quarterback in 2022 projected to 2,300 yards over the season.

This is not to suggest Bridgewater would have put up those kinds of numbers, only to back up the claim he still would represent a better option than Thompson or Huntley.

Again, it's probably likely the Dolphins' playoff chances would be doomed with Tagovailoa out of the lineup, but it doesn't change the fact that those chances would be better with Bridgewater than Thompson.

We're not expecting the Dolphins to make that kind of move because they seem invested in seeing what Thompson can do given more of an opportunity, but it's absolutely worth considering.

Additional reading:

-- The cold hard facts about this silly Tua narrative

-- Are these the same old Dolphins?

-- The Dolphins' playoff outlook through Week 12