MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The monthslong battle to back up Tua Tagovailoa is apparently going down to the wire.
While both spent the entire 2023 season on the Miami Dolphins‘ roster, Mike White and Skylar Thompson are probably competing for one spot.
Latest on Miami Dolphins’ QB2 Battle
The NFL rule change that allows unlimited practice squad promotions for No. 3 QBs makes keeping three on the 53 an unnecessary luxury for most teams.
But good luck separating one from the other after months of practice and two uninspiring preseason games.
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Their stats in those exhibition affairs are eerily similar.
Thompson has gone 16 of 34 for 156 yards, a touchdown, and an interception (58 rating).
White has gone 15 of 34 for 142 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions (56.3 rating).
That means this abbreviated final week of the preseason — with a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wednesday before a game against the same team Friday — could be the ultimate tiebreaker.
The reality is there are reasons for concern with either player should Tagovailoa miss extended time this fall.
That is why Mike McDaniel was asked about his comfort level at that spot during his Monday news conference.
His long, detailed response provided helpful context, but didn’t exactly answer the question.
Full Mike McDaniel Answer on Backup QBs
“I guess let’s peel it back, let’s go back to I have a good amount of history with both quarterbacks. And both quarterbacks have been able to win NFL football games against good opponents in the regular season. And they both have things about their game that I really like.
“And so this whole offseason, I think we started with acknowledging that. And how can we appropriately find some distinction between the two just because, you know, we felt like they had both proven in years past to be quality backups. So you know, quite honestly, what the approach that I’ve kind of taken is to create super difficult situations for both of them.
“And as that manifests, you know, that’s whether the play-calling choice, the situations that I’m asking, you know, maybe (ask) them to do certain things specifically to put them in difficult situations because what are we really trying to evaluate? We’re trying to evaluate who’s best to serve handling a difficult situation. Inherent in being a backup quarterback is that you are in a difficult situation, whether that’s in-game or starting a game.
“And so we thought it was most appropriate to do that, and how that’s presented itself in practice is I’ve gotten a ton of information. And there’s so many different nuances that I’m trying to focus on on a given day, and then carrying that message to the game. And it’s much broader than, ‘Do we go down as an offense and score?’ It’s quite literally handling difficult situations and then saying, ‘Hey, you have to go do this, I’m going to call this play, probably against a non-premier coverage, and let’s see what you do. You’re going to play a quarter with a receiver playing running back. How do you respond?’
“And so from my vantage point, I feel bad, because all that information, if I were, whether I was a fan or I was sitting in your guys’ seats, I’m not sure if it totally reflects the entire process and all the information.
“So I’m looking for nuances, resolve, the conviction after a bad play happens, how the offense is coming to the line of scrimmage, how you’re leading them. All sorts of different things on top of what I’ve already learned about them.
“So how that’s manifested in preseason games, I have tried to do the opposite of what I generally do, which is put players in advantageous situations. Because I think that’s what you collectively as a staff, we kind of looked at it like we need to try something different to separate these guys because when they’re comfortable, their games are going the same direction. We need to figure this out. And we see that as a responsibility.
“So I’ve put them in a bunch of tough situations. And I will continue to do that this week and through the next preseason game so we can have all the information possible to who best is suited to be the guy behind Tua.”