Despite Tua Tagovailoa‘s history of concussions, the Dolphins did not upgrade at backup quarterback in 2024, sticking with Skylar Thompson and releasing Mike White before the start of the regular season.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said on Tuesday that the team was pursuing “a couple of top-flight backup QBs,” during last offseason, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, but couldn’t finalize any signings due to salary cap constraints. Instead, they had Thompson and White compete for the backup job in training camp.
White lost and joined the Bills’ practice squad, forcing the Dolphins to scramble in Week 2 when Tagovailoa went down. They signed Tyler Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad and Tim Boyle off the street, though neither represented a serious improvement over Thompson.
Grier is determined to have more success finding a new backup after Huntley, Boyle, and Thompson went 2-4 as starters this season. The three combined for a 78.67 passer rating across their appearances, which would rank third-worst among qualified quarterbacks.
The annual quarterback carousel will give Grier plenty of options this offseason, though the Dolphins remain strapped for cap space. They’re already in the red for 2025 with just 37 players under contract, per OverTheCap. The usual array of cuts and restructures can free up some money, but Miami will still need to fill and upgrade their roster if they want to make the playoffs in 2025. Grier will have to balance his desire to shore up his quarterback room with his need to improve other areas of the team.
About a year too late
Aside from all of their other countless blunders and blatant incompetence, Stephen Ross just retained a GM and a head coach who somehow weren’t aware that you need a half-way decent/remotely competent backup QB when you’re starter has a long documented history of injuries. Really tough to figure out why the Dolphins are perpetually pathetic………
Ryan Fitzpatrick… because only an Irishman can show you where the best pubs are after road games.
I actually feel Minshew could help this team after he is released from Lost Waygas. Hopefully his rehab is going okay …
Grier shouldn’t be allowed to pump his own gas
Maybe Dolphins shouldn’t have given QB1 $55 million per year.