Despite a worsening injury crisis under center, the Dolphins are not expected to trade for an available QB, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
Tua Tagovailoa landed on injured reserve after his Week 2 concussion, only for his replacement, Skylar Thompson, to exit with a chest injury in Week 3. The Dolphins also have Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle on the roster, but Graziano adds the team likely prefers to start Thompson. Huntley arrived in Miami just last week, and Boyle only completed seven of 13 passing attempts for 79 yards in his relief appearance on Sunday.
The Dolphins’ Week 3, undecided at this juncture, starting QB likely comes down to practice availability. If Thompson is healthy enough to practice, Mike McDaniel could stick with the more familiar signal-caller and give Huntley an additional week to learn the offense. If Thompson cannot practice, though, Huntley will be able to take even more reps to pick up McDaniel’s system, or at least a simplified version of it.
Miami’s focus on a short-term fix at quarterback stems from the belief that Tagovailoa intends to return to the field this season. He is still consulting neurologists to determine the best path forward after hits third concussion in as many years, with an earliest possible return date of Week 8. Making a splash move for another QB – whether it be a veteran like Russell Wilson or young reclamation project like Bryce Young – could complicate Tagovailoa’s recovery and return and impact the relationship between the Dolphins and their franchise quarterback.
Instead, the Dolphins are more likely to stick with stopgap options under center. Even if Thompson is healthy enough to start in Week 4, he will have to show improvements to keep the job. Another lackluster performance could give Huntley — Lamar Jackson‘s top backup for three seasons — and opening to earn a few starts of his own once he’s fully up to speed in Miami.
Either way, the starting gig will go back to Tagovailoa if he is cleared to play again this season. But if additional tests and evaluations reveal a long-term problem, the Dolphins will need to consider a more concrete answer at quarterback — potentially through trade if their short-term replacements cannot produce.
Something I’ve been wondering, which I don’t think I’ve seen discussed anywhere…
What will both Tua and the Dolphins do next time it happens?
We can all hope beyond hope that this is Tua’s last concussion, but I’m pretty sure odds are it will happen again if he keeps playing.
As long as Tua is cleared to play, he will play. As long as Tua will play, Mike will coach him. They need each other. I do not know what Tua makes a game, but I think I would come back and play too.
The Dolphins will address and upgrade the backup QB situation. All parties will be better prepared for the next time this happens.
None of those options are better than Huntley.