Don't Count Out Skylar Thompson as Miami Dolphins' Top Backup QB

Skylar Thompson seemingly doesn’t plan to gift wrap the backup quarterback role to the veteran the Miami Dolphins added this offseason.

The former Kansas State standout the Dolphins selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft has thrown some of camp’s better passes, like the 40-yard touchdown on which he and Braylon Sanders connected during the 11-on-11 period late in practice Wednesday after Sanders used his speed to get behind new cornerback Bryce Thompson.

The pass was perfectly placed and caught in stride before Sanders, who spent all of last season on Miami’s practice squad, reached the end zone for the session’s only score.

Thompson, who appeared in seven regular season games and the playoff contest at Buffalo last season and won the game that sealed Miami’s first postseason berth since 2016, seemingly is pushing to get his share of second-team work.

MIKE WHITE NOT OFF TO A GREAT START

Mike White’s salary might indicate he’s the Dolphins’ primary backup quarterback seeing how the Dolphins signed the former Western Kentucky standout to a two-year deal that could be worth $8 million, but his on-field performance during the OTA practices the media has witnessed hasn’t been overly impressive.

There have been quite a few instances where White’s arm has been less than desirable when it comes to throwing passes with velocity and throwing to the boundaries.

Last week White was picked off by safety Jevon Holland on a wobbler that clearly got misfired, and this week a number of his passes from the Wednesday session open to the media were knocked down by opposing cornerbacks.

White, who has a 75.4 passer rating from the nine games he’s played the past two seasons, had his moments. But they were far too inconsistent. He seemingly is the type of quarterback who needs his foot placement to be perfect to throw with zip.

Foot placement is critical to every quarterback, but when a passer’s arm strength is limited, it becomes even more critical.

There was a theory the media caught White on a bad day last week, but his performance during the open practice this week was underwhelming as well. And media members who covered White during his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft, and New York Jets report that what we've witnessed is "par for the course."

I’ve been told White won’t impress during practice.

WHITE'S STRENGTHS COULD BE INTANGIBLES

But he earns his respect in the locker room, where his leadership shines, and in game situations. Matt Moore was more of a gamer than practice performer.

Like Tagovailoa, White is respected for his accuracy and being a sharp learner, someone who could potentially become an offensive coordinator or head coach in the future.

But is his studious nature going to help him hold off Thompson, who was one of camp's more pleasant surprises last year?

The fact Thompson has a year’s worth of experience in head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense under his belt, and has some existing chemistry with skill position players from last year’s team, could even the playing field between these two quarterbacks.

The hope is that the eight games Thompson played in the regular season and playoffs helped his game grow and develop because he’d need to do better than completing 57 percent of his passes, throwing for 537 yards with one touchdown pass and three interceptions as Miami’s primary backup.

While it's almost certain that Miami will keep three quarterbacks for the season again, particularly in light of the new "emergency QB" rule, let us not assume who is quarterback number 2 at this stage.