Dolphins QB Tyler Huntley Weighs in on Possible Tua Tagovailoa Return

Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley knows he is on the clock. He started this season as a free agent after having been a backup in Baltimore, but was pressed into emergency duty in Miami when Tua Tagovailoa was injured with a concussion.

The Dolphins saw that backup Skylar Thompson was clearly not ready, and brought Huntley on board for starts in Weeks 4 and 5, in which he took a loss against the Titans and scored a tight win over the Patriots.

There was a chance that Huntley might have a chance to keep the job over the course of this season, if he had played well and Tagovailoa had stayed sidelined. When Tagovailoa first suffered his concussion on Sept. 12, it was the third of his NFL career, with a fourth having occurred while he was at Alabama.

That led to speculation that Tagovailoa might retire. But coach Mike McDaniel said this week that Tagovailoa does plan to return to action this year, and that might happen in short order.

Because Tagovailoa is on the injured reserve list, he must sit out four weeks, so he won't be eligible to return until Week 8, which is Oct. 27. Huntley was asked after Thursday's practice , "The team certainly wants to see QB Tua Tagovailoa back as soon as possible. Does it go through your mind that, “Hey, this may be the last time I get to play for a while?”

Huntley maintained a realistic view. “Man, I’m just looking at the opportunities. Just working to win this game this week and that’s all I can control,” he said.

He did say that his experience in Miami, his hometown, has been good for him. Huntley had spent four years as a backup with the Ravens, and had been 3-6 in nine starts before his current 1-1 mark for the Dolphins.

“It’s been going great and it’s only going to get better as much time as I’m here. We’re just going to continue to build off of that,” Huntley said.

Related: Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel Drops Important Update on Tua Tagovailoa