Time for Dolphins Decisions to Pay Off

The Miami Dolphins' offseason plan will be tested starting with Sunday's game at Seattle.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) looks for a passing option against the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins might arrive at a crossroads — yes, in the third game of the 2024 regular season.

This extends beyond the obvious challenge of facing the next four games on the schedule without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who's on injured reserve because of the concussion he sustained in the Week 2 loss against the Buffalo Bills last Thursday night.

This applies in a much bigger, and perhaps significant, picture: the organizational approach of the offseason.

If the worst-case scenario unfolds and the Dolphins go on a losing streak, starting against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday and extending against the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, and Indianapolis Colts, this could become a major statement on not only backup quarterback Skylar Thompson but the front office.

And that statement would not be a positive one.

REFERENDUM ON THE OFFSEASON PLAN

It starts with Thompson, of course, and the Dolphins' decision to keep him and Mike White as their quarterbacks behind Tagovailoa instead of investing in a more established veteran, someone like Jimmy Garoppolo or Andy Dalton.

In responding to questions about what gives him confidence in Thompson's ability to run the offense while Tagovailoa is sidelined, head coach Mike McDaniel often refers to the progress Thompson made behind the scenes, how much more comfortable he is with the scheme, which sounds good but doesn't address his lack of game experience.

Let's remember that this is a quarterback who has made three NFL starts (two in the regular season, one in the playoffs) and didn't take a single snap last year.

Thompson didn't look particularly impressive in relief of Tagovailoa against Buffalo in Week 2, but the circumstances were about as difficult as they could get given the score (down 31-10), the absence of the two starters on the left side of the offensive line (Terron Armstead and Robert Jones) and, of course, the lack of reps during the practice week.

Nobody really knows what to expect from Thompson against the Seahawks on Sunday, and pretty much all outcomes are on the table regarding Thompson's performance.

If he flops Sunday and beyond, though, that would be an indictment on the Dolphins' approach at quarterback in the offseason, particularly because the Dolphins should have been prepared for the idea of Tagovailoa missing regular season time because it's happened every year of his NFL career except for 2023.

It would also be a bad look if Thompson struggles because the interior of the offensive line doesn't hold up.

This would bring us back to the offseason again when the Dolphins chose to move forward with returning players at guard after Robert Hunt signed his big-money deal with the Carolina Panthers and also decided to move on from Connor Williams at center in light of his knee injury and signed Aaron Brewer as a free agent.

While it's only one game, it clearly wouldn't be ideal for Williams to outplay Brewer badly on Sunday.

But the offensive line's performance will be important in making Thompson's life as easy as possible, and that's not just about Sunday.

On defense, the most debated decision was allowing Christian Wilkins to leave as a free agent and replace him with a slew of unproven players and journeymen until veteran Calais Campbell came aboard, with the caveat that Campbell is now 38 and can't be asked to handle anywhere near the work load that Wilkins handled next to Zach Sieler.

The run defense could have been more impressive in the season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the Buffalo game, James Cook gave up the ghastly 49-yard touchdown on the never-next play after Tagovailoa was sacked on a fourth-and-2 play.

The run defense can never be a liability, but it's especially important when a team has to start its backup quarterback — no matter who that quarterback is.

WAS THE DOLPHINS PLAN THE RIGHT ONE?

The Dolphins' strategy in the offseason was to double down on the foundation and key team members, handing out large contracts to McDaniel, Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Jalen Ramsey.

McDaniel and Ramsey each had two years left on his contract, while Hill's contract was restructured to guarantee him money.

It's impossible to look at how the Dolphins spent their money — and lots of it — in the offseason and wonder whether they could have allocated their resources differently, maybe better.

If the Dolphins can withstand Tagovailoa's absence and get right again upon his return, the approach will be difficult to criticize.

If things go south, though, the questions will be fair game.