Tyler Huntley signing with the Miami Dolphins as Tagovailoa heals

The Miami Dolphins apparently have their hopefully temporary replacement for Tua Tagovailoa in their quarterback room.

With Tagovailoa ailing due to another concussion, but reportedly not ready to retire, the Dolphins are signing Tyler Huntley, 26,  to back up elevated starter Skylar Thompson.

Huntley, who was on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad, brings some mobility to the position, as well as some starting experience — though he has been inconsistent in his appearances.

The University of Utah product is 3-6 as a starter in his career, all when Lamar Jackson was sidelined with injury.

His skill set is more similar to Jackson’s than Tagovailoa’s. Huntley has rushed for 509 yards in his 20 appearances, while throwing for 1,957. He’s not tall (6-foot-1) but is strong and elusive. He, like Thompson, is right-handed, unlike Tagovailoa… which could cause some changes to the blocking schemes.

He likely won’t be ready to start for the Dolphins next Sunday in Seattle, but if Thompson struggles and Tagovailoa’s absence lingers — it could be four weeks or longer — Huntley could get an opportunity to try to keep the Dolphins’ season afloat. Maybe down the line he will even get to team again with Odell Beckham, Jr., the Dolphins’ offseason receiver acquisition (also from Baltimore), who has been out of action and is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.

If nothing else, Huntley has a strange distinction: the only quarterback to be chosen for the Pro Bowl even though he wasn’t a starter, because few would or could go.

Here’s what Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said after Huntley was added to the mix:

“In lieu of the fact that if you’re not going to adhere to timelines based upon what the science tells us and how we want to approach individual situations and player injuries; with that unknown, that was something that – ever since he’s – it’s been apparent from afar and then having some coaches that have been around him, shoot, he was replacing the league MVP and you could tell from far away that he was a guy that the team absolutely believed could lead them to victory. I think that’s a very huge tangible thing for a non-QB1 necessarily, and so for us without knowing exact timelines, we got to learn firsthand a nice reminder of how it only takes one play and what you think your depth is changes abruptly. So that’s a move for moving forward to secure some depth in case of the unforeseen which is timelines for us as it relates to Tua.”

And what does this mean for Skylar Thompson?

“This was not a move to in any way, shape or form out of anything not that has to do with Skylar (Thompson). Our team going all the way back to his first rep in rookie minicamp as a rookie to down the stretch of the 2022 season to what he was able to do to win the No. 2 job, this is not in any direct reflection to Skylar as Tua’s backup. This is more for the depth. I do think that it helps the dynamics of the room to give another guy with starting history to this team and gives another added addition of a guy that’s a signal-caller that a team can get behind. I was happy adding – what we were able to do in the quarterback room – in adding (Tim) Boyle, but I think this is more directly to back up Skylar and then you always let competition play out when it’s out on the field, but this was a depth move, for sure.”

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