Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Thursday that he has an idea who will start at quarterback on Monday against Tennessee but isn’t ready to reveal it publicly, largely for competitive reasons.
Skylar Thompson remains impacted by a painful rib injury; he wasn’t expected to participate in much of practice on Thursday, the first of three consecutive days of Dolphins practices.
Barring a quick recovery, that would leave Tyler Huntley and Tim Boyle as the options to start Monday against visiting Tennessee (7:15 p.m., ESPN/CBS-4).
McDaniel spoke highly of Huntley on Thursday, saying he has become “more comfortable” with Huntley in terms “of what we targeted him for -- on the 53-man roster. The game isn’t too big for him. Very encouraged by his progression.... We targeted him for a reason.”
McDaniel used Boyle ahead of Huntley when Thompson was injured against Seattle partly because he knew the offense more from having been with the team longer. Boyle joined the Dolphins on Aug. 29. Huntley joined the team last week. McDaniel suggested he has an increased comfort level with Huntley now than he did several days ago.
Huntley is considered the favorite to start unless coaches aren’t satisfied by his performance or command of the offense this week.
McDaniel said with Thompson’s rib injury, “it’s not just pain tolerance; it’s how you’re able to do your job and with what effectiveness. I would be surprised if he could fully participate” in Thursday’s practice. Thompson appeared in discomfort during his limited work in the media viewing portion of Thursday’s practice. But McDaniel wouldn’t publicly rule out Thompson for Monday’s game.
“I’ll let it play out,” McDaniel said of the quarterback situation. “The quarterbacks who will be participating [in Thursday’s practice] will get action and great opportunity. I get to see guys play within this offense and play with their teammates. As the week progresses, I’ll be sure to shout it from the top of the building.”
McDaniel addressed other issues:
▪ Left tackle Terron Armstead and cornerback Kendall Fuller remain in concussion protocol but are feeling better.
▪ Linebacker David Long Jr. (hamstring) is missing Thursday’s practice and his status for Monday’s game is in question.
“He’s doing absolutely everything he can for this [game],” McDaniel said. “He will either be out there or it will be impossible.”
▪ Asked about rookie left tackle Patrick Paul, McDaniel said he’s “feeling good about his readiness and ability to play NFL football in the regular season.”
▪ McDaniel said “if I knew we were going to score only three points” against Seattle, “I would have changed the players, the scheme.”
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