The Miami Dolphins very likely could have kept both C.J. Beathard and Skylar Thompson in their locker room for the rest of the season.
Instead, Mike McDaniel signaled this week that he was OK with losing Beathard but not Thompson by the move he didn’t make: Blocking the Jacksonville Jaguars from poaching Beathard from Miami’s practice squad.
Miami Dolphins Lose C.J. Beathard to Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars announced the move Wednesday morning, but the Dolphins surely knew in advance that it was coming.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have made the following roster moves, the team announced today:
Signed QB C.J. Beathard to the 53-man roster from Miami’s practice squad
Placed WR Devin Duvernay on the Reserve/Injured; Designated for Return List and opened his 21-day practice period— JaguarsPR (@JaguarsPR) November 6, 2024
Miami had the right of first refusal over Jacksonville. If the Dolphins wanted to promote Beathard to their active roster to block the Jags, they could have.
Instead, they let their No. 3 quarterback walk out the door to ensure that they could keep their No. 2 — Skylar Thompson, who along with Tua Tagovailoa was the only QB left in the building Wednesday morning.
Expect the Dolphins to soon add a third arm. They cut Tim Boyle from their practice squad a week and a half ago, and Tyler Huntley is on injured reserve for at least two more games.
All three — Boyle, Huntley, and Thompson — saw the field during Tagovailoa’s four-game stint on injured reserve.
None were good. Boyle has the best QB rating of the three in 2024 at just 22.9. Huntley is second at 21.7. Yet, McDaniel decided to keep Thompson, whose QBR this season is a ghastly 3.7.
In two appearances this year, Thompson has completed 63.6% of his passes, averaged 5.7 yards per attempt, and taken six sacks in 40 dropbacks.
Nevertheless, he has a spot on the Dolphins’ 53-man roster and Beathard — who at least has more career touchdowns (19) than interceptions (14) and spent four years with McDaniel in San Francisco — does not.
And that is a choice. The Dolphins almost certainly could have elevated Beathard, cut Thompson, and brought him back to their practice squad after he cleared waivers. Instead, he seems secure in his active roster spot for a third straight season.