Do you know when to bid your cards in the card game Spades?
Most players tell their partner how many books they can bring and then explain their options.
If we were to approach the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback situation with this approach, Tua Tagovailoa would be a strong choice for us, especially based on the development we’ve seen over the last two seasons and this training camp. But I’m not sure we could even consider Mike White and Skylar Thompson as possible candidates.
We attributed the mediocre training camps of both quarterbacks to a lack of NFL-level weapons, particularly with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Jonnu Smith not practicing and Erik Ezukanma, Anthony Schwartz and others not practicing due to injuries.
And while that’s fair, it’s also a convenient excuse, because this is the worst game I’ve seen from Miami’s backup quarterbacks since Brady Quinn’s training camp loss with the Dolphins in 2014.
Quinn was terrible, but there’s no other way to describe what we’ve seen from White and Thompson since the OTAs in April.
And that’s concerning, because if something happens to Tagovailoa that puts him out of action for a month or so – which has been the case for most of his career except last season – can any of these quarterbacks make it through the season?
My answer to that question would not be no, but “absolutely not.” That’s why Dolphins general manager Chris Grier’s list should include quarterbacks who need improvement.
“I would be hesitant to make any big judgments. There are opportunities to compete and if you still have those, you should play them out before you make any decisions,” McDaniel said after the game.
Thompson took the majority of the secondary’s snaps in last week’s 17-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons, replacing Tagovailoa on the second drive of the game and playing well into the third drive, but he was underwhelming in both appearances.
Against the Commanders, he completed 8 of 15 passes for 61 yards, giving him a miserable quarterback rating of 63.5.
White replaced Thompson late in the third quarter and finished the game completing 11 of 20 passes for 116 yards. His best pass was a 35-yard pass to Ezukanma, but he was sacked three times during his snaps.
The fact that White has once again replaced Thompson is important to note, as it suggests he is behind him in the rankings, especially since Thompson has led the second-team offense most days over the past two weeks.
It’s a changing of the guard considering White, a five-year veteran who came to Miami last offseason after spending four seasons with the New York Jets, spent all of last season as Tagovailoa’s primary backup.
“We’ve been intentional about taking advantage of the opportunities we’ve given Skylar,” McDaniel said. “He’s made some plays, but he knows he can get better at some things. We’re trying to make sure we can even the odds for Mike.”
Let’s not pretend that finances didn’t open the door for Thompson, because that’s probably the case, as firing White would result in a $3.5 million pay cut.
But it shouldn’t be about saving money. This battle for the second quarterback position should be about finding and enabling a quarterback who can put the team in a position to win games if something happens to Tagovailoa.
“It’s going to be another very important week of practice and another game that we’re going to play out,” McDaniel said. “Everyone’s game had its pros and cons.”
Thompson has a 58.0 passer rating heading into next week’s final preseason game against Tampa Bay, and White has a 56.3 passer rating for his work. Coincidentally, both have thrown 34 passes in the last two games.
While not every team has a Tyrod Taylor (New York Jets), Jameis Winston (Cleveland Browns) or Jimmy Garoppolo (Los Angeles Rams), most teams have at least one young player that they believe will develop into something reasonable with time and a sizable investment.
That hasn’t been the case with the Dolphins in years, not since Tagovailoa began the season as a rookie behind Ryan Fitzpatrick.
No one is talking about finding the next Brock Purdy, who coincidentally was selected after Thompson in the 2022 NFL Draft. The goal should be to find the next Joshua Dobbs, who went 3-9 last season as a starter for the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings.
While I admit we haven’t seen Thompson’s potential yet, are we sure his game has improved a lot since he led the Dolphins to the 2023 playoffs with a win over the New York Jets and put in a respectable performance in a playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills – and that was in a series of games where Tagovailoa was out with a concussion?
The Dolphins clearly have a decision to make, especially if they plan to no longer have three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster, allowing a new NFL rule that favors the practice squad quarterback for game day.
At this point, the Dolphins should be looking for reinforcements, even if that means calling Ryan Tannehill and asking if he would be willing to take White’s $3.5 million and sign on as a replacement for a franchise he led for more than half a decade.
Maybe an experienced player will be released for cost reasons, or Miami can poach a young quarterback who still needs to be a bit more mature via the waiver list.
Something has to be done because leaving this playoff-caliber team potentially in the hands of White or Thompson would be a huge mistake and would force us to put all our cards on the table.
