In the end, the Miami Dolphins‘ QB1 decision for this week wasn’t a particularly hard one.
Mike McDaniel settled on Snoop Huntley as his Week 4 starting quarterback Thursday and explained why Saturday.
Miami Dolphins Injury Updates Ahead of Titans Game
Skylar Thompson was never really a consideration for Monday’s game against the Tennessee Titans once the Dolphins saw how limited he still was by the rib injury that knocked him out of the Seahawks game. But even if all players were healthy, Huntley might have been the guy based on how Thompson and Tim Boyle looked against Seattle — and Huntley’s career body of work.
He’s a dual-threat quarterback who in his short time with the team demonstrated his ability to orchestrate the Dolphins’ passing game from the pocket.
“I see him being able to utilize his skill sets within the [framework] of the offense,” McDaniel told reporters.
What is Huntley’s No. 1 job (and Thompson’s No. 1 failure)?
Getting the ball out on time.
“That’s the basis of our offense,” quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell said. “You know our offense is a very elite timing offense. You’ll see us put our foot in the ground and let it go quicker than most other teams in the league. Tua is very elite at that, and it’s something that we ask of all our quarterbacks, so that timing is super important.”
So Huntley will be the starter Monday, and Boyle will be his primary backup. Thompson will be dressed as the team’s emergency quarterback.
Two starters have already been ruled out for Monday: tackle Terron Armstead and cornerback Kendall Fuller. Both remain in the concussion protocol.
The Dolphins are not ruling out David Long Jr. (hamstring) for Monday’s game. Kendall Lamm or Patrick Paul will start for Armstead at left tackle. Storm Duck or Ethan Bonner seems in line to start at corner.
As for running back Raheem Mostert, who has missed the last two weeks with a chest injury, what is the latest on his status?
“I know he’s trying,” McDaniel said Saturday. “He definitely enjoys playing football more than watching it.”
Mostert said Friday that the decision to play will be based on “pain tolerance and feeling confident.” Asked if he plans to wear a harness or extra padding should he play, Mostert replied:
“I was talking with the training staff; they said maybe some padding or something that they could do. But I don’t know, I feel like sometimes those things can restrict you. Me specifically, I don’t get my ankles taped because I feel like that’s restricting me, but we’ll see. We just got to test it out on one of these days.”
Tennessee Titans vs. Miami Dolphins Injury Report
Titans
Out
None
Doubtful
DT Jeffery Simmons (elbow)
Questionable
S Amani Hooker (face)
CB L’Jarius Sneed (hamstring)
Dolphins
Out
OT Terron Armstead (concussion)
CB Kendall Fuller (concussion)
Doubtful
LB David Long Jr. (hamstring)
Questionable
RB Raheem Mostert (chest)
QB Skylar Thompson (ribs)
WR Malik Washington (quadriceps)
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.