The lingering durability questions surrounding Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa make it critical that the team has a competent backup quarterback.
In the offseason, the Dolphins gave $4.5 million guaranteed to veteran Mike White, making him the presumed No. 2. With White now in the concussion protocol and with second-year seventh-rounder Skylar Thompson looking pretty good against the Texans on Saturday, it’s fair to ask whether Thompson might leapfrog White.
White has the second spot on the unofficial preseason depth chart. But Thompson, who helped the Dolphins make things interesting in the playoffs against the Bills, looked good in Houston, completing 15 of 22 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns.
The Dolphins presumably will keep all three on the 53-man roster, just as they kept three in 2022, when Teddy Bridgewater was the backup.
Tua emerged from his preseason debut unscathed, at one point showing what could be his new ability to fall to the ground in a way that protects his head from striking the turf. Last year, he suffered at least two — and more likely three — concussions when his helmet struck the turf during games.