The Miami Dolphins will be without their starting quarterback — Tua Tagovailoa — for the next few weeks at the very least as he recuperates from a concussion, but that reportedly doesn’t mean the team is likely to add another signal-caller to its roster via trade at this juncture.
“While the Dolphins make plans at quarterback for at least the next three weeks without Tua Tagovailoa (IR, concussion), a trade for a passer doesn’t seem likely at this point,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “A source said Miami is ‘not much into it at this time.’ Keep in mind, all signs are that Tagovailoa wants to play again this season, and he’s eligible as early as Week 7. Making a flashy move for a quarterback, potentially disrupting the loose timeline and plans of Tagovailoa and the team, comes with risk. Now, the Dolphins might have to do something, so all of this is a bit of a moving target. In the short term, Miami must decide when Skylar Thompson (ribs) will be available and make plans around that, with backups Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle in mind.”
Tagovailoa hasn’t played for the Dolphins since he suffered his head injury against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 12. Although the ESPN report in question suggests that he could return as early as Week 7, he actually won’t be eligible to return until Week 8 at the earliest.
Miami started Thompson — the team’s seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft — against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 22, but he didn’t do enough to give the Dolphins a puncher’s chance at picking up their second win of the 2024 regular season.
With Thompson spearheading Miami’s offensive unit, the Dolphins scored only three points before the quarterback left with an injury in the third quarter. The 27-year-old ended up with 107 passing yards and zero passing touchdowns in Miami’s 21-point defeat.
Boyle took over for the injured Thompson in the third. He didn’t do a whole lot, either. He totaled 79 passing yards while completing seven of his 13 passing attempts in his first game played of the season. The Dolphins didn’t score during Boyle’s time in the game.
To make matters worse for the Dolphins’ quarterback quagmire, Thompson may not be healthy enough to play in the next game on Miami’s schedule, which will come against the winless Tennessee Titans on Sept. 30.
Perhaps the injuries that Thompson and Tagovailoa are dealing with will open the door for Huntley to make his first start of the season on Monday. The Dolphins signed Huntley soon after Tagovailoa suffered his concussion, but the 26-year-old has yet to make his debut with the team.
Regardless of who gets the start at quarterback for the Dolphins on Monday, that player will look to save Miami from picking up its third loss in a row. If the Dolphins continue to rack up losses before Tagovailoa returns to the field, then the team could dig itself a hole that even he wouldn’t be able to get Miami out of.
