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Skylar Thompson

Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa Out For Week 17

December 29th, 2024 at 1:41pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

DECEMBER 29: Tagovailoa is indeed among Miami’s inactives for Sunday’s game. Huntley will get the nod as the Dolphins look to keep their playoff hopes alive.

DECEMBER 28: The Dolphins have downgraded quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to doubtful for their Week 17 matchup with the Browns, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. If he is unable to play, Tyler Huntley would make his fourth start of the season.

Tagovailoa suffered a hip injury in Week 15, but finished the game and played 100% of Miami’s offensive snaps in Week 16. The fifth-year quarterback wants to continue to play through the injury, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, but his mobility and athleticism are limited. Tagovailoa had surgery on the same hip when he was in college, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, but his current injury is affecting a different area.

The 2020 first-round pick downplayed the injury during a press conference on Thursday (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques):”I mean it’s good. It’s just like anyone else on the team and anyone else around the league. You get banged up little bit towards the ending of the year so just got to take care of that.”

Since Thursday, though, Tagovailoa has been trending down. Along with ruling him doubtful, the Dolphins elevated Skylar Thompson from the practice squad for Sunday’s game, another indication that Tagovailoa is unlikely to play.

An absence this weekend would be Tagovailoa’s fifth this season after a four-week IR stint after his Week 2 concussion. Miami has to beat Cleveland to keep their playoff hopes alive; a loss would all but eliminate them from postseason contention.

The Dolphins also promoted wide receiver Erik Ezukanma to the active roster, placed cornerback Kendall Fuller on injured reserve, and elevated cornerback Nik Needham from the practice squad, per a team announcement.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/17/24

December 17th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest practice squad updates from around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/24

December 14th, 2024 at 8:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Demercado has taken a backseat to Florida State third-round rookie Trey Benson, but he has averaged 9.3 yards per carry on 24 carries this year. Palardy will take over punting duties with Gillikin landing on injured reserve.

Jackson signed with Bills in late July, and although he was among the team’s final roster cuts he was immediately retained via a practice squad deal. This elevation means Week 15 will mark his first time spent on the active roster this season. The 36-year-old has started all but 10 of his 203 NFL games, but last season was marred by suspensions which led to his Broncos release. Jackson could suit up for Buffalo down the stretch as a gameday elevation in a bid to rebuild his stock to a degree.

With the playoffs nearly out of reach and quarterback Joe Burrow dealing with a few ailments (wrist and knee), the Bengals don’t seem to be taking any chances. Jake Browning will continue serving as the primary backup, while Woodside’s promotion will allow him to act as the emergency backup.

Adams has seen his biggest NFL roles during his time in Pittsburgh. Though he hasn’t gotten the same number of starts as he had in 2022 and 2023, he’s continued the same level of production. After missing the last four games, he’ll be looking to return to the field as early as tomorrow.

Dolphins To Start QB Tyler Huntley In Week 4

September 28th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Ben Levine

The Dolphins will have a new QB under center on Monday night. Coach Mike McDaniel told reporters (including Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) that Tyler Huntley will start at quarterback vs. the Titans.

[RELATED: Tua Tagovailoa Making Strides In Recovery]

Huntley’s promotion to QB1 seemed increasingly likely as Skylar Thompson was limited at practice all week with a rib injury. McDaniel acknowledged as much to reporters, noting that it was “supremely obvious” that Huntley “had what it takes” to guide the offense (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques).

Thompson got the first chance to fill in for Tua Tagovailoa, but the former seventh-round pick was knocked out of the team’s Week 3 loss with a rib injury. Tim Boyle ended up finishing that contest, but the veteran will revert to his standard backup role in Week 4 (per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe).

While Tagovailoa is showing positive signs in his recovery from yet another concussion, the starter doesn’t have a definitive return timeline. The team snagged Huntley off Baltimore’s practice squad following Tagovailoa’s Week 2 head injury, but with less than a week of practice time before Week 3, it seemed inevitable that Thompson would get the Week 3 nod. Following Thompson’s ugly performance last weekend, the Dolphins staff continued to give the third-year pro a vote of confidence (per Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald), a sign that he could be inserted back into the starting lineup when he’s healthy.

For the time being, Huntley will have a chance to run with the job during Tagovailoa’s absence. The former UDFA spent the majority of his career in Baltimore serving as Lamar Jackson‘s backup. Huntley went 3-6 as a starter between the 2021 and 2023 campaigns. That included an infamous 2022 season where he earned a Pro Bowl nod despite starting only four games. In total, the 26-year-old has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 1,957 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He’s also collected 509 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 115 attempts.

Huntley hit free agency this offseason and caught on with the Browns. Cleveland unsuccessfully shopped the backup before releasing him during final cuts. He was quickly added to the Ravens practice squad to serve as the third QB behind Jackson and Josh Johnson.

Dolphins Unlikely To Consider QB Trade

September 25th, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

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.

Dolphins Unsure Of Week 4 Starting QB

September 24th, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Skylar Thompson started the Dolphins’ Week 3 loss, the first contest following Tua Tagovailoa‘s concussion. Thompson had to exit the game due to a rib injury, however, and his status is now in the air.

“I think we have an important 48 hours to see where [Thompson’s] at,” head coach Mike McDaniel said when speaking to the media on Tuesday (via NFL.com). “We’ll just have to take it a day at a time. There’s a lot on the table.”

Indeed, Thompson’s health situation will be closely monitored in the immediate future. The former seventh-rounder beat out Mike White for the backup gig the offseason; that set him up to take over from Tagovailoa, who is on injured reserve and does not have a return timeline at this point. Thompson completed 13 of 19 passes on Sunday, but he was sacked five times and did not lead any touchdown drives during the 24-3 loss against the Seahawks. He will likely remain atop the depth chart if healthy, but it remains to be seen if that will be the case for Week 4.

If Thompson is unable to play, Tim Boyle (who was a gameday elevation from the practice squad for Week 3 and took over from Thompson on Sunday) would be an option to get the start. The other route available to Miami would be giving Tyler Huntley the nod. Huntley was signed off the Ravens’ practice squad in the wake of the Tagovailoa injury, a move he hoped would come to pass. The 26-year-old has not had a long period to acclimate to the Dolphins’ offense, but McDaniel added (via Jason Owens of Yahoo Sports) starting Huntley is a possibility at this point.

The 1-2 Dolphins will play the 0-3 Titans in Week 4, a game both teams will need to win to rebound from poor starts to the campaign. In Tennessee’s case, the quarterback position is not a question mark with Will Levis recently receiving a vote of confidence. For Miami, though, the situation under center is yet to be determined.

Tua Tagovailoa Suffers Concussion; Dolphins To Make QB Addition

September 13th, 2024 at 10:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

Thursday’s night’s contest saw the Dolphins’ record drop to 1-1 but the main takeaway was quarterback Tua Tagovailoa exiting the game with a concussion. Miami’s franchise passer has a history of head injuries, and this latest one will lead to a depth move being made.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said after the game that Tagovailoa – who went down late in the third quarter during a scramble which produced a collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin – will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis. Tagovailoa’s history with head injuries is a factor which will be taken into consideration when evaluating his recovery process, which does not have a timeline at this point. McDaniel added he and Tagovailoa will speak later today.

[RELATED: Assessing Dolphins’ Financial Options With Tagovailoa]

After a college career which included several ailments (one of which was a concussion), the Alabama product dealt with at least two more concussions during the 2022 campaign. That cost him five combined regular and postseason games and led to signficant changes to the NFL’s concussion protocol. The 26-year-old’s ability to progress through the protocol will now be critical as he and the team evaluate his rehab. Until more is known about Tagovailoa’s condition, no decision regarding an IR stint will be possible.

In the meantime, Miami will move forward with Skylar Thompson under center. The 2022 seventh-rounder served as third-stringer behind Mike White last season, one in which Tagovailoa remained healthy. White was let go during roster cutdowns this summer, however, paving the way for Thompson to operate as QB2 in 2024. He will be counted on to lead the offense moving forward, but the team is now eyeing an addition to serve as healthy depth.

“The team and organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said during a Friday press conference (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “There’s a reason he is our backup quarterback. We will bring in someone. I’m expecting Skylar is the next man up.”

Thompson made a pair of starts to close out the regular season in 2022, and he remained at the helm for Miami’s wild-card loss that year. The 27-year-old threw five interceptions against just two touchdowns during that span, but he will be atop the depth chart for the foreseeable future with Tagovailoa on the mend. Amongst veteran passers still on the market, Ryan Tannehill is an option familiar to the Dolphins (albeit not to McDaniel). The 36-year-old is remaining patient while considering his options, and he may not be interested in a backup gig if that is what Miami offers him.
Tagovailoa admitted last spring to contemplating retirement in the wake of his concussion issues. He managed to avoid any injuries last season, however, and his 2023 performance landed him a four-year extension this summer. That pact carries an AAV of $53.1MM and includes $167MM guaranteed for injury. Questions have been raised about the prospect of Tagovailoa retiring in the wake of his latest concussion, but plenty still needs to be determined on that front as things stand. How he recovers over the coming days and weeks, along with how the team proceeds at the QB position, will be worth watching closely.

Dolphins Release QB Mike White

August 25th, 2024 at 11:06pm CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins have a winner in their QB2 battle. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report, Miami is releasing Mike White, which leaves Skylar Thompson as Tua Tagovailoa‘s backup.

Last year, it was White who prevailed over Thompson in the war to serve as Tagovailoa’s clipboard holder. At the time, that seemed to be a significant development, as Tagovailoa had yet to play a full season and was coming off a concussion-riddled 2022 campaign. Fortunately for the Dolphins and their top passer, Tagovailoa suited up for all 17 of the club’s regular season games and one playoff contest last year, so White only appeared in garbage time.

Thompson, a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins in 2022, made two regular season starts as a rookie in relief of Tagovailoa, and he nearly led the team to a playoff win over the Bills that year. That performance was not enough to stop the ‘Fins from adding White as competition in March 2023, inking the former Cowboy and Jet to a two-year deal worth up to $16MM.

Given that financial commitment, it is not surprising that White beat out Thompson for the backup job in 2023, but as ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques points out, neither candidate separated himself over the course of this year’s training camp. Thompson saw the bulk of the action in the club’s preseason finale against the Bucs on Friday, completing 19 of 27 passes for 190 yards, two TDs, and an interception (good for a QB rating of 99.3). White, meanwhile, completed five of nine passes for 37 yards.

Although Thompson was drafted four years after White, the players are just two years apart in age (Thompson is 27, White is 29). Thompson, though, is under club control through 2025 and will make just $985K this season. White was due a $3.5MM salary, and as Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network observes, his release will net the Dolphins $2.5MM in cap savings.

As they start working their way towards a 53-man roster, the Dolphins have also cut TE Jody Fortson, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

Latest On Dolphins’ Position Battles

August 10th, 2024 at 4:26pm CST by Ely Allen

For the most part, the Dolphins are set in their depth chart for the 2024 season with many starters returning or free agents settling in. That being said, Miami is working through a few position battles as we inch our way towards eventual roster cuts.

According to Mike Florio of NBC Sports, one such battle focuses on who comes off the bench for the lead man behind center. Head coach Mike McDaniel claims that backup quarterbacks Mike White and Skylar Thompson are “neck and neck” in their battle to be the primary relief behind Tua Tagovailoa. Last year, White emerged as the winner of what McDaniel called a “pretty close race” with Thompson.

White impressed in seven starts in replacement duty during his first two seasons with the Jets. Miami signed him to a two-year contract, but with Tagovailoa staying completely healthy in 2023, White only appeared in garbage time. Thompson saw two starts in replacement duty for Tagovailoa two years ago, appearing in seven games as a seventh-round rookie and nearly leading the team to a playoff win over the Bills in a Wild Card start. Signs point to White likely retaining the job, but McDaniel insists that a bit of intrigue remains in the competition.

On the defensive line, free agent addition Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler have settled in as the starting ends. A battle has developed on the inside, though, between Benito Jones and Teair Tart, per Barry Jackson and Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald. Jones returns to South Beach after two years in Detroit, where he started 15 games last season. Despite earning the starting job last year, Jones graded out horribly, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), ranking as the league’s 124th best interior defender out of 130 graded at the position.

Tart graded out better in nine starts for the Titans last year. Thanks to an impressive pass rush grade, Tart ranked 85th, per PFF. Both players graded out better as pass rushers than run defenders, so it will be interesting to see how this battle plays out over the remainder of the preseason.

A number of interesting stories have developed at linebacker, as well. First, while Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb continue to work their way back from major injuries, Quinton Bell has reportedly “been a revelation” at camp, per Jackson. After spending the 2023 season on the team’s practice squad, the outside linebacker stands a chance at playing real time while the Dolphins wait for Phillips and Chubb to return.

At inside linebacker, Jackson notes that Miami rosters four veterans at the position, along with Cam Brown who serves as a key special teams contributor. That leaves former third-round pick Channing Tindall on the roster bubble as we near roster cuts. Tindall has appeared in 33 games over his first two years in the league but only played nine defensive snaps in 2022 and 12 in 2023. Much more is expected of a third-round pick, and with the current veteran presence blocking his path to more playing time, Tindall’s chances of remaining on the roster seem slim.

Dolphins Notes: QB, Gaskin, Berrios, LG

August 19th, 2023 at 4:24pm CST by Ely Allen

In most cases, the Dolphins aren’t utilizing camp position battles to determine starting roles. But as the deadline to cut the roster down to 53 players draws nearer and nearer, decisions have to be made throughout the roster. Here’s a look at who’s battling for a roster spot as the preseason continues, thanks to some helpful analysis from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald:

  • At quarterback, the starter is set, but the backup job may be closer than you’d think. Miami signed quarterback Mike White in the first hour of free agency, making it seem like they were dead set on him taking over at QB2. Last year’s backup, Skylar Thompson, doesn’t seem willing to go down without a fight, though, making the battle more competitive than some would assume. White is the presumed winner of this position battle, but if Thompson has a stellar preseason, he has a chance to surprise.
  • After failing to sign free agent running back Dalvin Cook, the room is shaping up to hold Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, and third-round rookie De’Von Achane, at the very least. If the team is going to open up a fourth roster spot for the position, it’s likely that one of Myles Gaskin or Salvon Ahmed will fill the role while the other will be on the chopping block, if not both. The Dolphins will have to determine if a fourth running back will help the team, and if not, Gaskin or Ahmed’s time in South Beach may be over.
  • Behind the team’s top two wideouts, there are a number of options to plug in. According to Jackson, AFC East mainstay Braxton Berrios seems to be taking direction from wide receivers coach Wes Welker well, giving him an edge on the depth chart. He’s competing with Cedrick Wilson, Erik Ezukanma, and Chosen Anderson for the WR3 role, and seems to have a handle on it. Anderson has been making up for a slow start to camp lately but may need to compete with River Cracraft if the team only decides to keep six wide receivers.
  • At tight end, the battle for the third tight spot poses the most intrigue, assuming the team only takes three tight ends. The starter, Durham Smythe, and the rookie, Elijah Higgins, are likely to make the roster, leaving backups Eric Saubert and Tyler Kroft fighting for what is likely going to be the final roster spot at the position. Neither is much of a factor in the passing game, so whoever shows the best blocking ability throughout the rest of camp may be rewarded the short-term job security.
  • The biggest battle on the line is the battle for the starting left guard spot. Liam Eichenberg and Isaiah Wynn appear to be in a dead heat for the job, according to Jackson. Wynn has more NFL starting experience, but Eichenberg is more familiar with the franchise. Aside from that, the other big battle is for the swing tackle role. Veteran and former starter Kendall Lamm reportedly has established a lead over Cedric Ogbuehi for the job. Seventh-round rookie Ryan Hayes could also contribute to the team depth at the position if he makes the roster.
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