Miami Dolphins do not have a backup QB controversy
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins have a competent backup quarterback but Skylar Thompson isn’t making this backup role a controversy.
Teddy Bridgewater is the backup to Tua Tagovailao and while third-string rookie Skylar Thompson played well on Saturday night, we are not close to there being a full-blown QB controversy.
This is not to say there won’t be one by the time the last two preseason games are played. We should expect to see Tua Tagovailoa next week for at least a quarter before Bridgewater takes the field in what could be the rest of the game. Don’t be surprised if Thompson doesn’t play in week two.
Evaluations at this stage are important. Miami knows what they have in Bridgewater but they will also need to get him game reps. Week three might tell a different story if we see more of Thompson or if Bridgewater doesn’t take a lot of snaps in either of the last two games.
We talked about Bridgewater possibly being on the trade market way back in June. We surmised that if Thompson plays well and the market opens for a veteran QB, then Miami could run with Thompson as Tua’s backup. That could very well happen but right now, one good preseason game doesn’t make it a full-blown controversy or even a competition.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next several weeks. Can Thompson turn this into a camp battle will be the narrative that we watch for. It is in his hands and the Dolphins have to be happy with what they saw last night, at least most of the time.
As noted on the broadcast, Thompson has not been simply relegated to taking practice snaps with the third team, he has worked with the first team players as well but so has Bridgewater so there isn’t much to see here.
Last night’s start by Thompson was by design and fans are excited for what week two might bring in terms of a hint as to which direction the Dolphins are heading with their two backup QBs. Of course, they are probably not, right now, thinking Thompson is the guy to backup Tua, at least not this year.