The Wide World of Dirt

As soon as Tua Tagovailoa went down on Thursday Night Football against the Bills, everyone in the NFL knew that the Miami Dolphins were in trouble.

Heading into week 3 with backup quarterback Skylar Thompson taking first team reps gave some fans hope that the 27-year-old would wring out some solid performance from the elite weaponry surrounding him.

The Kansas State alum endured the worst afternoon of his career in Seattle.

Prior to sustaining a chest injury in the second half, Thompson tossed 19 passes, completing 13 of them for just 107 yards. Thompson averaged a whopping 5.6 yards per pass attempt.

In fact, Thompson started out with his biggest play of the day, a short toss to DeVon Achane that the sophomore running back converted into a 22-yard gain.

It was all downhill from there.

Thompson’s accuracy improved from his career average, completing 68% of his passes in the 24-3 loss against the Seahawks. Some might see this as a step in the right direction for the inexperienced signal caller, but I disagree.

Seattle dominated Miami at every phase of yesterday’s game despite a great showing from Miami’s defense that kept getting put on the field due to the malignant offensive attack.

When it becomes virtually impossible for your team to punch the ball in with four attempts within the 5-yard line, a change is in order.

I won’t call for Thompson’s head on a pike like some people on social media. The reality remains that he’s a low-paid, low-grade QB that’s not really supposed to be seeing the field too often.

Unfortunately, general manager Chris Grier expected the Dolphins to be A-OK moving forward with a guy that’s been in their system since its debut in 2022 and even has playoff experience where he almost beat Buffalo with subpar play.

I’m not deriding Grier because that should be sound logic. A guy well-acquainted with the playbook should know how to go out there and run the offense.

And, Skylar Thompson did not effectively run the offense.

Since Tua is on injured reserve, Miami should consider alternatives at QB, but moving on from Thompson now makes little to no sense. The organization signed him through the end of next season on a cheap contract, so what would be the point?

SB Nation’s James Dator dropped a list of six QBs that could help stop the bleeding over the next three games (at least), so I’ll react to each of James’ choices here:

• Ryan Tannehill: While I’m not opposed to this, kicking the tires on a guy the organization deemed their franchise QB before swiftly kicking him out of town doesn’t seem like a good idea. I’m not sure Tannehill has the processing capabilities to effectively run this offense, but I’ve been wrong before. Grade: B-
• Cam Newton: Newton’s struggles with the short-yardage passing game is counterintuitive to McDaniel’s offensive philosophy. That said, Mike could reimagine the gameplan with Newton behind center, allowing for more vertical passing to speedy targets. I just don’t see that happening, though. Grade: C
• Desmond Ridder: Dator notes a change of scenery could benefit the much-maligned former Falcon. I don’t want this season to hinge on the inconsistencies of Ridder, a QB that was never really prepared for the professional level. His mobility might provide some play-calling variance, but is it worth it? Grade: C
• Bryce Young: Carolina’s cornerstone player received a reality check this weekend, sitting on the sidelines while backup Andy Dalton torched an unsuspecting Raiders squad. Harkening back to Ridder’s untapped promise, Miami could rebuild Young, but it also comes at a price of draft capital or players, a price I wouldn’t be comfortable paying for a backup. Grade: F
• Russell Wilson: I won’t pretend to know what’s happening in Pittsburgh with Wilson at the moment, but the aging star continues to rehab a vague calf injury that had him listed as questionable last week. Wilson is on a cheap, one-year deal with the Steelers, and Justin Fields keeps winning with solid play. In need of a landing spot, Wilson could succeed in Miami’s quick-fire offense. Grade: B
• Carson Wentz: A former MVP candidate, Wentz’s fall from grace in Philadelphia has been covered to death. A modest revival with Frank Reich’s Colts in 2021 gave some hope that the MVP form might still reside within Wentz. That was rudely extinguished after his move to Washington the following year. His start for the Rams last year looked serviceable; however, it makes little sense to spend draft capital on a 32-year-old with little in the way of recent success. Grade: C-

Miami’s next matchup sees the Dolphins head for familiar waters as they host the Tennessee Titans (0-3). Normally, this is a team that Miami should steamroll.

We left normal as soon as Tua went down.

With no idea who starts this week, I can’t project what will happen. Thompson is likely out with a chest injury, and Tim Boyle was not much better than his predecessor to say the least.

If something happens between now and then, expect to hear from me, but until then, Go Fins, I guess.

(Top Photo Credit: Kevin Ng/Imagn Images)