MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — There’s uncertainty again for the Miami Dolphins at quarterback. But this time around, Tua Tagovailoa has very little to do with it.
Assuming as everyone does that Tagovailoa clears concussion protocol this week, he will start Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
But, heaven forbid, should Tagovailoa get hurt again Sunday, it’s still a mystery about who will play quarterback for the Dolphins.
Is Snoop Huntley Playing in Week 8?
The only one of the four options who can absolutely be ruled out is Snoop Huntley, who did not practice Wednesday after injuring his shoulder in Miami’s Week 7 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
That leaves Skylar Thompson (who has not played since a disastrous Week 3), Tim Boyle (who finished the Colts game), and newcomer C.J. Beathard (who signed to the team’s practice squad Wednesday).
“I just want to see how guys play this week,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters.
“Snoop, I don’t think is going to be available this week. So based upon how I see Skylar operating, how I see Tim, how I see CJ, make a decision based upon that. In our current situation, there’s not any, any predetermined I have the right answer. I’ll watch and adjust. But right now, we’re assessing and we’ll do that on the practice field today.”
Who Is C.J. Beathard?
McDaniel was part of the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff that drafted Beathard out of Iowa in the third round in 2017. Over the next four years, Beathard started 12 games, completing just 58.6% of his passes for 3,469 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
After his contract expired, he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, with whom he spent the next 3+ years. Beathard went to camp with Jacksonville this summer but was part of the team’s final cuts. Jacksonville made Beathard an injury settlement, and the Dolphins added him to the roster when he was healthy.
“As an assistant coach and run game coordinator and then offensive coordinator [in San Francisco], I worked pretty hands on with him,” McDaniel said. “I know a lot about C.J. What I like about him is his competitiveness, his arm talent, and his toughness. He’s a competitor through and through.”
While Beathard knows McDaniel’s system, it would be a stretch to see him on the game-day roster after just three practices. So the decision will likely come down to Thompson (78.7 passer rating in 2024) and Boyle (74.7).