What the Offense Might Look Like with Huntley

The Miami Dolphins could turn to former Baltimore Ravens backup Tyler Huntley to start at quarterback in their Week 4 Monday night game

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (2) throws during the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&;T Bank Stadium in the 2023 season finale. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins haven't yet revealed who will start at quarterback for their Monday night contest vs. the Tennessee Titans, but there’s a decent chance Tyler “Snoop” Huntley will be out there for the first snap.

Huntley was signed off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad Sept. 16, so Monday would be just two weeks for Huntley to get integrated and learn the offense. Even if Huntley doesn’t start Monday, it seems inevitable he’ll play this season, especially if Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t return from Iinjured reserve after the four-week minimum.

To prepare you for Huntley’s time under center, we watched film from throughout his career and poured over stats to see what the Dolphins' offense could look like with Huntley.

Huntley Career Overview

Huntley spent the first four seasons of his career backing up Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. He started four games in 2021 and 2022, finishing with a 3-5 record in those eight starts. Huntley also started and lost Baltimore’s playoff game in 2022.

Huntley started one game last season vs. the Steelers, a 17-10 loss in the regular season finale. The Ravens already had locked up the top seed, so Huntley was out there with all of Baltimore’s backups in bad weather.

Still, he only produced modest stats. He was 15-of-28 for 146 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers while adding 40 rushing yards on eight carries. Modest is probably the nicest way to describe Huntley’s career stats.

In nine starts, he has a 64.6 completion percentage, eight touchdown passes, and seven interceptions. Huntley has run the ball well, recording 509 yards and three touchdowns on 115 carries.

Many will bring up Huntley making the Pro Bowl in 2022, but he was selected after several quarterbacks opted out of the game. In his “Pro Bowl” season, Huntley kept the Ravens in games, but he threw just two touchdowns compared to three interceptions.

To his credit, Huntley performed admirably in the postseason. His 226 passing yards and two touchdowns were better than any of his single-game regular season numbers.

That said, numbers rarely, if ever, tell the whole story.

Scouting Huntley

Although Huntley’s numbers aren’t impressive, he did keep the Ravens competitive during his starts in 2021 and 2022. As a backup quarterback, especially one who isn’t a former long-term starter, that’s about as good as you can ask for.

As a passer, Huntley’s strengths are firmly in the quick game. He’s a snappy decision-maker who is more than willing to take what the defense gives him. He’s at his most accurate throwing to the short middle of the field.

He works quickly through reads — to a fault at times — and will take check-downs all game if teams give them to him. Huntley sees the blitz somewhat well pre-snap. He showed an ability to replace the blitzer with the football throughout his Ravens tape.

Huntley is also an above-average athlete for the position. He’s got enough arm talent to create outside of structure and generate positive plays when things break down.

That transitions nicely into probably his biggest strength — scrambling. Huntley is the best athlete the Dolphins have had at quarterback in a while. Skylar Thompson has some ability to move behind the line, but Huntley is a legitimate threat beyond it.

He’s fast enough to eat up easy yards, punishing teams who play man coverage, and he’s capable of winning on designed quarterback runs. He’s not Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen caliber, but defenses must respect his scrambling ability.

Those are Huntley’s strengths, but what about some of his drawbacks?

Huntley’s main drawbacks are arm strength and accuracy. He doesn’t have the arm strength to drive the ball into tight windows or consistently push the ball down the field. Huntley’s average depth of target has dropped every season since he’s been in the league.

His arm strength also limits his accuracy. He struggles to make his receiver's job easy when he’s forced to throw outside the numbers beyond roughly 10 yards. He’ll often put passes on the wrong shoulder or just straight-up miss his target.

His accuracy on vertical routes is also compromised, although it’s hard to find too many examples of him truly airing the ball out.

Huntley’s mobility is an asset, but he will sometimes abandon clean pockets and open reads to run instead of working within the play’s structure. This is less of a concern as long as Huntley produces positive plays with his legs.

However, if teams spy him effectively or his athletic ability drops off, it will significantly deter his success.

Overall, Huntley is a limited passer with solid athletic ability. He works the quick game well, and he can create out of structure, avoid sacks, and pick up critical first downs with his legs. Nothing he does is overly impressive, but he’s capable enough to produce a respectable offense if he has enough support around him.

What Does Miami’s Huntley Offense Look Like

Predicting what the Dolphins will do with Huntley is quite difficult. For starters, Hutley has had two weeks to learn the offense, which is very different from the one he ran in Baltimore.

Additionally, under head coach Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins haven’t deviated much from their system when using backup quarterbacks. Whether it has been Teddy Bridgewater or Thompson, the Dolphins haven’t rolled out modified offenses to accommodate who is under center.

That’s one of the many reasons the team struggled so much on offense last week. Thompson was asked to do everything Tagovailoa does for the offense in a hostile environment.

If the Dolphins ask Huntley to manage all of the motions and ball fakes their offense normally has after just two weeks in the system, it will likely go just as badly as last week.

Let’s set that aside and assume the Dolphins make some changes or greatly simplify the offense. What should we expect?

The Dolphins love to use the quick game to get the ball into the hands of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane. Those quick screens, swings, and jet passes likely will remain in the offense.

Huntley is also good at throwing sticks, curls, and slants off his first read. The Dolphins liked to push those routes downfield with Tua at quarterback, but running them at more traditional depth would be better for Huntley.

When it comes to formations, the Dolphins could use more empty looks. Huntley’s career EPA per dropback is -0.08, but his EPA per dropback from empty is 0.11.

Last season, the Dolphins were tied for the NFL lead in empty formation usage at 6 percent, according to nfelo. This season, that number is closer to 5 percent, and they only used empty on seven plays vs. the Seahawks.

Huntley does his best work in the passing game when the defense is spread out, and he can easily identify his first read. It also makes it easier for Huntley to scramble because more defenders are pulled out of the box.

Generally, the best thing Miami can do for Huntley in the passing game is to keep things simple.

Don’t ask him to conduct an orchestra before the snap with a ton of complicated motions. He doesn’t need to hit the timing routes over the middle at the same depth Tua does. Simple half-field concepts with a check-down option over the middle will play more to Huntley’s strengths.

Miami started simplifying things when Tim Boyle came into the game last week, so it’s something they’re capable of doing.

As for the running game, the most obvious adjustment is adding quarterback run elements. The Dolphins can replace some of the fancy pre-snap window dressing they like to do with the threat of the quarterback run.

Adding read options and quarterback power concepts to the playbook seems like no-brainers. Huntley won’t be dominant on the ground, but even the threat of the quarterback run forces defenses to play its gaps differently.

The Dolphins should also try to run the ball between the tackles more often. Miami averages 4.6 yards per carry up the middle, but they rank in the bottom 10 of the league when running outside the tackles.

That part doesn’t involve Huntley directly, but regardless of how many adjustments the Dolphins make, the running game will likely have to carry the team on offense. That support will only make Huntley better.