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With the talk of position battles within the Miami Dolphins, there is one that has been brewing of the backup quarterback between Skylar Thompson and Mike White to be behind star Tua Tagovailoa. In the Dolphins' 24-14 loss in the preseason finale to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team saw both quarterbacks play as head coach Mike McDaniel who had the duties for the first half, spoke after to give his takes on the competition.
There is no doubt that Thompson got more opportunity Friday as he completed 19 of his 27 pass attempts for 190 yards while throwing two touchdown passes and one interception. McDaniel would say that the 27-year old “did a great job tonight” though was not straight-forward in terms of roster cuts as it pertains to Thompson according to the team's transcripts.
“I think Skylar did a great job tonight,” McDaniel said. “I think in terms of – we have a lot of information to take in. I’m not in any position to name [a] 53-man roster or backup quarterbacks or anything. I thought that he was competitive and made some plays and kind of got us going tonight.”
Thompson has been with Miami since 2022 where he was a seventh round draft pick and has started multiple games for the team, including their 2022 wild card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, 34-31
Mike McDaniel's take on Dolphins QBs Skylar Thompson, Mike White
Despite the unknown of his appearance on the roster, McDaniel talks about the development he has seen from Thompson since he was a rookie.
“With Skylar, he got the opportunity to play early in his career and I thought, as a rookie, he demonstrated some aggressiveness and ability to make plays in this league,” McDaniel said. “It’s been about, since then, training his craft and really owning the quarterback position within the offense and I thought this preseason, he’s exhibited growth and what that means. It means you are the leader of the unit, that you have to orchestrate play calls, decision making, all of those things, and I thought he took a good step forward tonight.”
White had been with the New York Jets until last season where he became the backup quarterback to Tagovailoa on the Dolphins. In the preseason finale loss, White completed five of nine passes for 37 yards in a small sample size, which could be a clear sign that he is the backup due to the little playing time.
“I think he faced some challenging situations,” McDaniel on assessment of White. “I thought he did a good job getting the team in and out of the huddle and played clean in that way, I think there [are] some opportunities – I have to look at the tape – that he was in there against their starters and competed and did some things that I was happy with, that we’ve been emphasizing. But before being able to say the extent to which both guys completely played, I’ll have to watch the tape first.”
Skylar Thompson with positive mindset amidst Dolphins battle
With how unpredictable roster cuts can be for most players not guaranteed a starting spot, one has to wonder how they handle this likely stressful time in football player's careers. For Thompson though, he is looking at the positive side saying that he had a “lot of fun” with his performance and “thought it was a great rep for me.”
“Man, I had a lot of fun tonight,” Thompson said. “Obviously, you want to come out on the other end of the scoreboard, but I had a lot of fun tonight. I thought it was a great rep for me, coming into the game and not starting, kind of getting a rep at that – getting into the flow of the game, getting into the rhythm of the game, I thought that was a great opportunity for me tonight. I don’t know, I had a lot of fun. That sums up everything, kind of, for me tonight, a little bit.”
Dolphins preparing for Week 1 against the Jaguars
Even with a potential cut for Thompson, the Dolphins can still bring him back in the foreseeable future through the practice squad, though there have been new rules pertaining to that. Still, Thompson is excited to hang out with his family and “kind of relax” and will prepare on “getting ready for Week 1.”
“I’m going to spend time with my fiancée and chill, kind of relax,” Thompson said. “I’ve really been going at it hard these past couple of weeks. We get a little rest time here before we’ve got a week of practice, and then I’m getting ready for Week 1. I’m just going to relax. I feel like I’ve left everything on the table, and I have no regrets.”
At any rate, McDaniel and the Dolphins have a decision to make regarding their backup quarterback and keeping Thompson if he does not win the position. However, the team is hoping Tagovailoa can repeat last season where despite the injury history, he played every game.
The Dolphins will have a complete 53-man roster and will start the season on Sunday, Sept. 8 which puts them against an in-state rival in the Jacksonville Jaguars.
