Mike McDaniel remains mum on Dolphins’ week 6 QB

With Teddy Bridgewater joining Tua Tagovailoa in concussion protocol on Sunday, the question arises of who will play quarterback for the Miami Dolphins next week.

As if losing Tua to a scary head injury was not bad enough, the football gods decided to take away another Dolphins quarterback Sunday at MetLife Stadium in a brutal 40-17 loss to the New York Jets. Teddy Bridgewater took a blow to the head early in the game and under new concussion protocol, was taken out of the game. Rookie Skylar Thompson took snaps for the rest of the game.

In his Monday press conference, Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Bridgewater is in concussion protocol and the earliest he may return is Thursday, but that is still not guaranteed. McDaniel did not give us much in terms of spoilers to who may take snaps for the Dolphins next weekend. He honestly may not even know, either.

"“It’s too soon for me to really pinpoint that. Again, I kind of have to wait and assess the whole situation, which I do not have in scope. What I do know is that Skylar (Thompson) will be practicing on Wednesday and hopefully Wednesday I’ll have a better feel of the direction that we should go that’s best for the football team.”"

This leads us to ask the question, “who on Earth will start for the Dolphins?”.

Rookie 7th-round pick Skylar Thompson

Skylar Thompson, the preseason darling, stepped in for the Dolphins when Teddy Bridgewater went down on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, the seventh rounder from Kansas State had a rocky showing, completing 19 of 33 pass attempts, throwing for only 166 yards and tossing an interception.

Thompson, a 25-year-old rookie, is actually a year older than Tua! Thompson started games for Kansas State back in late 2017 as a sophomore, but was able to play all the way until last season for the Wildcats due to the various injuries he suffered.

In the preseason, Thompson impressed Dolphins fans with his stellar play, which ultimately earned him a spot on the roster. He threw for 450 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, no interceptions and completed 75% of his passes, good for a 138.4 passer rating in the preseason.

Any free agent quarterbacks looking for work?

If neither Teddy nor Tua are set to return anytime soon and Mike McDaniel does not feel comfortable rolling with a seventh-round rookie, he may look to the free agent market.

Former NFL MVP Cam Newton is certainly an intriguing option. While Newton is on the wrong side of 30 and with a plethora of injuries under his belt, he could still provide a little spark to this Dolphins offense. Newton has always had a strong arm with an ability to stretch the field — something Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle would love to hear.

Former University of Miami quarterback D’Eriq King, last seen on the Patriots practice squad, is currently a free agent. The former Hurricane went undrafted in 2022 after an uneventful 2021 season. He really shined in 2020 with Miami, passing for over 2,600 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed for over 500 yards.

If anyone is looking for a B.O.A.T, look no further. Former first-round pick and Jacksonville Jaguars legend Blake Bortles is currently — and shockingly — a free agent. The Dolphins may want to kick the tires on this B.O.A.T if Teddy and Tua remain in concussion protocol.

Okay, maybe not Bortles, but the Dolphins could legitimately look externally for quarterback help with the injuries and inexperience in the current quarterback room.

While we’re not exactly sure who will be taking snaps in the game, the Dolphins do host the 4-1 Minnesota Vikings at 1:00 ET on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium.