Skylar and Sinnett: A Story of Two Dolphins No. 3 QBs

Quarterback Skylar Thompson has shined for the Miami Dolphins this preseason, but he might not even be on the roster if not for Philadelphia Eagles backup QB Reid Sinnett

Skylar Thompson has been a star for the Miami Dolphins so far in the preseason, impressing enough as the third quarterback that he might not leave the team a choice but to keep him on the 53-man roster.

And one of the quarterbacks in town with the Philadelphia Eagles for the joint practices this week just might be the reason.

And that quarterback was Reid Sinnett, who was the Dolphins' third quarterback last season until they lost him to the Eagles.

Allow us to explain that without Reid Sinnett impressing last summer, Skylar Thompson might not even be in Miami right now.

REID SINNETT'S STRONG SUMMER WITH THE DOLPHINS

Like Thompson this summer, though perhaps not quite to the same extent, Sinnett showed promise during the 2021 preseason and the Dolphins re-signed him to the practice squad after he was among the cuts to the 53-player limit.

Sinnett then was signed to the active roster after Tua Tagovailoa went on IR with broken ribs and backed up Jacoby Brissett for three games, but he remained on the active roster as the third quarterback when the Dolphins faced Jacksonville in London.

But when injuries hit the wide receiver position — and there were a lot of those last year — the Dolphins signed Isaiah Ford to the active roster the following week and waived Sinnett with the idea of re-signing him if he cleared waivers.

Except he didn't clear waivers.

The Eagles claimed Sinnett at the same time they sent veteran Joe Flacco to the New York Jets, and that move likely wouldn't have been made if not for Sinnett's impressive performance in the 2022 preseason finale.

Playing the whole way against the Cincinnati Bengals passed for 323 yards and two touchdowns, 44- and 34-yard hook-ups with Kirk Merritt and Chris Myarick, respectively, in a 29-26 victory.

SINNETT AND SKYLAR THOMPSON IN SIMILAR SPOTS WITH THE EAGLES AND DOLPHINS

A year later, Sinnett finds himself in a similar spot as Thompson, hoping to convince the Eagles to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster and have that third QB be him instead of rookie free agent Carson Strong.

So one could say that Sinnett's strong performance in that Cincinnati game last summer led to the Dolphins losing him to the Eagles, and maybe he would have been the third quarterback this year had that not happened.

And had that been the case, maybe the Dolphins wouldn't have drafted Thompson as a developmental quarterback this year, particularly considering they only four picks with which to operate after they made the trade for Tyreek Hill.

At this same stage, Thompson does look like a better NFL prospect than Sinnett, but it still will be interesting to compare the two this week.