Forget what we’ve seen so far in the Miami Dolphins’ backup quarterback battle between Mike White and Skylar Thompson during offseason workouts. It’s largely irrelevant. Their training camp battle, which begins in about three weeks, is much more significant.
And considering the injury history of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins’ playoff expectations, the backup quarterback battle is perhaps the team’s most significant preseason competition — more meaningful than starting left guard or even starting slot receiver.
In my mind, Thompson should enter training camp as the No. 2 quarterback.
Thompson was better than White during organized team activities and minicamp during the practice sessions open to the media. We weren’t privy to classroom work, but in open practice sessions Thompson, the Dolphins’ 2022 seventh-round pick from Kansas State, threw with more accuracy and more purpose. He also seemed to run the offense better overall than White, Dallas’ 2018 fifth-round pick from Western Kentucky.
Backup quarterback, as you probably realize, is a crucial job for the Dolphins because you’re almost guaranteed to make at least one start. And remember, this is a team which, as currently constructed, has a two-year Super Bowl window. Every victory this season is critical in what’s expected to be a tight AFC race for a playoff berth, a home playoff game, and possibly homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Dolphins’ backup quarterback, as recent history has showed, must be capable of winning games in September or January. It might be one game, it might be four games, it might be more. Tagovailoa missed 5 1/2 games last season.
You can cover for a weak starting left guard when he’s on the field, and the starting slot receiver might only be the team’s No. 3 or 4 option when he’s on the field. You can cover for that, too. It’s a lot tougher to cover for a weak backup quarterback when he’s on the field.
Neither Thompson nor White was overly impressive during the offseason. But again, disregard the backup quarterback results from OTAs and minicamp.
It’s a safe bet that the vast majority of the backup quarterback battle, the on-field part of it, anyway, will be determined between joint practices and preseason games.
Think about it this way: Tagovailoa, whose injury exposure must be carefully managed, probably won’t play much in preseason. He’ll play the regular load, which, for starters, usually amounts to four quarters.
Thompson and White will play the majority of the Dolphins’ snaps in preseason games.
Neither was overly impressive last season.
Thompson was 1-1 in two regular-season starts.
Thompson, who played in seven games last season, started the Dolphins’ 11-6 victory over the New York Jets on Jan. 8 that earned them their first playoff berth since the 2016 season. He also started the Dolphins’ 34-31 wild-card round playoff loss at Buffalo the following week.
He ended the season 60 of 105 for 534 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He completed 57.1 percent of his passes and had a 62.2 passer rating, was sacked six times, and lost two fumbles.
It was about what you’d expect from a rookie seventh-round pick who started the season as the third-teamer (yes, I’m aware of San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy).
As for White, the local kid who attended University School, 2022 was a mixed bag while playing for the New York Jets.
White, liked and respected by his Jets teammates, displayed amazing toughness while playing with five broken ribs last year.
White went 1-3 in four starts.
He was 103 of 175 for 1,192 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. He completed 58.9 percent of his passes and had a 75.7 passer rating, was sacked nine times and lost one fumble.
White has made eight career appearances, seven starts, and has a 2-5 record.
Considering neither White nor Thompson has much experience, they’ll need all the snaps they can get in the next couple of months.
The Dolphins have tried to lift the burden off the quarterback in various ways. They hired defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to improve the defense, and acquired Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey to go along with fellow Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard. They acquired Pro Bowl edge rusher Bradley Chubb to be paired with fellow edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.
And, of course, they have All Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill and speedy wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
But if Tagovailoa goes down, there will still be a tremendous amount of pressure on the backup quarterback to play well. In a couple of months, we’ll know whether that’s Thompson or White.
