Mike White has qualities that reportedly impressed the Miami Dolphins enough to sign him to possibly be the immediate backup to oft-injured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this season.
They liked his smarts and toughness and arm OK. Performance varies too widely for my taste
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) August 12, 2023
White made his Dolphins debut during a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. The 28-year-old completed nine of 14 passes for 85 yards with an end zone interception that ended an otherwise effective opening drive.
With Tagovailoa not being used in the preseason opener, Skylar Thompson played the second half and completed 10 of 16 passes for 104 yards and two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.
Neither of the candidates for the second-string job were able to get the Dolphins into the end zone in the 19-3 loss.
Both White and Thompson could play very important roles for Miami if Tagovailoa again misses some time this season. The 25-year-old starter was able to play just 13 games last season but still managed to throw for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns.
He helped Miami to an 8-3 start despite missing some time with a concussion suffered in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4. The Dolphins finished the regular season at 9-8 after he suffered another concussion. He sat out the final two regular season games plus the team’s 34-31 playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills that was handled by Thompson.
White memorably burst onto the scene for the New York Jets in 2021, passing for 405 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-31 win against the Bengals in his first NFL start. He ultimately finished the season with four games under his belt.
The Western Kentucky University product played another four games for the Jets last season, which included 315 passing yards and three touchdowns in a win against the Chicago Bears. He also had 369 passing yards in a narrow road loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
He then was severely banged up in a loss to the Bills, which required an ambulance ride for a precautionary hospital visit.
After all of that, he signed a two-year contract with the Dolphins as a free agent in March.
Tagovailoa is arguably the most important player for the Dolphins, who have Super Bowl aspirations this season. But White could be the one called on to fill a prominent role if the starting quarterback is sidelined at some point.
