The Miami Dolphins found themselves in a bad situation this year when they lost Tua Tagovailoa for four weeks and had no capable backups ready to play.
Miami ran with Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle and had Mike White on the team during training camp. When Tua went down, so did the Dolphins' hopes for an AFC East title. The Dolphins would lose three of the four games without Tagovailoa despite bringing in Tyler Huntley.
Mike McDaniel spoke with the media on Friday and was asked about the backup quarterback position. His response may hint toward the Dolphins' offseason decisions for the position.
McDaniel said that Huntley earned the trust of his teammates and that he is the type of player the Dolphins like. Miami faces a big decision this offseason in terms of finding a suitable backup, but it seems Huntley may already have secured the job.
Tyler Huntley may be the right quarterback for the Dolphins
"I think he exemplified the characteristics that were reminiscent of what we had the last couple years," said McDaniel. "Specifically, it reminded me of Teddy (Bridgewater) and how guys, the second you go in, they believe that you won't miss a beat. And you've got to earn that trust, and you've got to earn that conviction and that's something that you can't fake."
While McDaniel sidestepped part of the question, he seemed clear that Huntley, at least for now, would be the Dolphins' backup in the future. If there is good news, Huntley is a player who is respected, and if he is re-signed by the Dolphins, he will get a full offseason to learn the system and get the right amount of work in to get better.
McDaniel specifically said that Huntley coming in was reminiscent of when Bridgewater came into play. That the team was already behind him. While McDaniel may be saying the right things, the results on the field this year with Huntley were not that impressive. He has a lot of growth ahead of him, but will the Dolphins look for a better quarterback this offseason?