The Dolphins settled their backup quarterback competition on Sunday when they released Mike White and left Skylar Thompson as the No. 2 behind Tua Tagovailoa.
Thompson was a 2022 seventh-round pick and he made three starts at end of his rookie season while Tagovailoa was sidelined by concussions. He spent all of last season on the bench while White served as the primary backup, but head coach Mike McDaniel said on Monday that Thompson’s progress was clear enough to make his relative lack of experience less of an issue.
“I see a better quarterback now than I did at the beginning of camp, than last year and the year before . . . I see teammates believe in him,” McDaniel said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “How do you respond to adversity, and how do you make a play when one isn’t there. I wasn’t surprised by what I saw from Skylar. . . . We don’t need an experienced guy. We can go with a guy who has a high ceiling. I think this particular QB room we can go with a young guy, an old guy or just a good guy.”
Tagovailoa played every game last season and the Dolphins will be hoping that remains the case in 2024, but McDaniel seems confident Thompson is up to the job if needed.