There is a quiet competition going on in the Miami Dolphins quarterbacks room and it is heating up now that the preseason contests are about to start. One of them will not make the initial 53-man roster.
With Tua Tagovailoa not playing in this week's preseason contest against the Falcons, Skylar Thompson and Mike White will split the snaps, but the competition is much closer than fans might think.
Will Mike White or Skylar Thompson win the QB2 job for the Dolphins?
Mike McDaniel spoke with the media and said that last year, White narrowly beat out Thompson for the backup job. Now, a year later, it is another close competition, says McDaniel, and that could spell the end for White in Miami.
McDaniel of course won't tip his hand, but he did call it a "neck-and-neck situation."
"So I see that as – it’s neck and neck, and far from me even thinking about who’s going to win that job, and I think that’s a compliment just because they’re both developing very well. "Mike McDaniel per Dolphins transcripts
If the competition is clearly even, White is less likely to make the roster because the Dolphins can save money by releasing him - nearly $3 million. Neither player has extensive experience in the NFL, with White making most of his appearances late in games, but Thompson has playoff experience.
For the Dolphins, the competition can be anything they want it to be, but fans know that if Tua goes down for any considerable amount of time, neither backup can shoulder the offense on his own and lead them to win. At least, it hasn't been proven yet. We'll know more about these two throughout the postseason. Which signal-caller will come out on top of this battle? We'll find out soon enough.