The Miami Dolphins have the team’s franchise QB set in stone. With Miami inking Tua Tagovailoa to a mega-contract extension, the Dolphins quieted any doubt about Tua’s status with the team.
Tua is Miami’s QB of the future. Period.
But what about the rest of the depth chart?
Who Will Win the No. 2 Battle on the Miami Dolphins’ QB Depth Chart?
The Dolphins have two familiar faces battling for positioning behind Tagovailoa: veteran Mike White and third-year passer Skylar Thompson.
Tua Tagovailoa
Tua was rewarded handsomely by the franchise that selected him fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Dolphins signed their signal-caller to a four-year, $212 million extension with just over $167 million in guarantees during the team’s opening week of training camp.
Whether or not you agree with the front office’s decision to tie itself to Tua for the next several years, there’s no question about the heights the young quarterback and head coach Mike McDaniel can achieve when Tua is at his best.
The Dolphins fielded the NFL’s most dangerous offense early last season, a unit that was on pace to achieve feats almost no offense had in NFL history.
A late-season dip in production, punctuated by crushing losses to the Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills late in the regular season that pushed Miami out of pole position in the AFC East, raised questions about Tua’s ability to come through in the clutch when it matters most.
Until a Tua-guided Dolphins team finds postseason success – something Miami failed to do in last year’s Wild Card Round drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs – questions will remain about Tua’s standing among the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
Mike White
White is the Dolphins’ QB2 – for now. McDaniel recently described the battle for Miami’s top backup job as “neck and neck.” However, the veteran White is currently listed as the QB2 on Miami’s unofficial depth chart, a role he held last season ahead of Thompson.
White was selected in the fifth-round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys and spent one season with the team before joining the New York Jets. He was in New York for four seasons, seeing significant playing time amid Zach Wilson’s struggles to hold down the starting job.
Across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, White played in eight games, starting seven, and accumulated 191 completions at a 62.2 percent completion rate for 2,145 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The 29-year-old is entering the second and final year of a two-year, $8 million deal he signed with Miami when free agency opened in 2023.
Skylar Thompson
The Dolphins drafted Thompson in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and, after an impressive preseason, he stuck on the 53-man roster as the third QB behind Tua and then-backup Teddy Bridgewater.
With both Tua and Bridgewater suffering injuries throughout the 2022 season, Thompson was called upon to play significant snaps, seeing time in seven regular season games and starting two. He completed 60 passes at a 57.1 percent completion rate for 534 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
With Tagovailoa and Bridgewater both sidelined for Miami’s 2022 Wild Card matchup against the Bills, Thompson was called upon to start. He had a rough statistical outing but played well enough to keep Miami in the game. In the 34-31 loss, Thompson completed just 18 of 45 pass attempts for 220 yards, one touchdown, and two picks.
If Thompson plays well in the 2024 preseason, he could push White for the QB2 spot. That could prove especially important if Miami wants to keep just two quarterbacks on the active roster, as White carries a $5.2 million cap hit but would cost just $1.7 million in dead cap should the team choose to release the veteran.