September is one of the most exciting months of the year for football fanatics as the NFL ramps things up again for the season. Already there have been injuries, athletes removed from teams and drama between players, coaches and viewers, but that’s nothing new in the world of professional sports. In particular, the Miami Dolphins have been getting a lot of attention after their starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, sustained a concussion in a game against the Buffalo Bills earlier this month. While he won’t be placed on the injured reserve just yet, coach Mike McDaniel spoke with ESPN about how the team is handling the situation. Just one of the measures they’ve taken amid Tagovailoa’s recovery is signing Tyler Huntley, a QB from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, to their roster.
What’s Next For Tua Tagovailoa?
As their star QB focuses on healing, McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier are standing behind him. There’s been discourse among audiences about whether it’s time for Tagovailoa to retire, but the Dolphins coach refused to indulge that gossip. “ I think it’s an utmost priority of mine for Tua to speak about his career… I’m just worried about the human being and where that’s at day to day. I’ll let Tua be the champion of his own career and speak on that,” he shared.
Last week, McDaniel confirmed that Tagovailoa will likely be missing this week’s game, with third-year veteran Skylar Thompson starting in his place. “I have no doubts in my mind that Skylar’s going to go out there and do the best he can in Seattle,” the coach declared. While he’s experienced on the field, Thompson didn’t play during the 2023 season; before that, he started three games as a rookie in 2022.
Who Is Tyler Huntley?
While the Dolphins are confident in Thompson’s ability to lead on the field, they’ve still brought Tyler Huntley on board to support him. As ESPN notes, “NFL rules essentially require players signed from another team’s practice squad to remain on their new teams’ 53-man active roster for at least three weeks.” The Miami-based team could release Huntley before the three-week minimum, but cannot replace him on their active roster until the requirement is satisfied.
McDaniel made it know that adding Huntley “was not a direct reflection on Skylar,” and is just to “bolster the team’s depth.” The coach explained, “I do think that it helps the dynamics of the [quarterbacks] room to add another guy with starting history to this team. [Huntley] is a guy that’s a signal-caller that a team can get behind… I think this is more directly to back up Skylar, and then you always let the competition play out when it’s out on the field. But this is a depth move, for sure.”
What Is The Dolphin’s New QB’s Net Worth?
The 26-year-old is slightly more experienced than Thompson, starting 10 games in his four-year career, mostly for the Ravens. Tyler Huntley was also named to the Pro Bowl in 2022 after helping reach the playoffs in replacement of Lamar Jackson. According to Essentially Sports, the Florida native has amassed $5 million in career earnings so far and as an estimated net worth of $1M – $2M. The details of his contract with the Dolphins aren’t out yet, but the Cleveland Browns signed him to a one-year contract worth $1.2M in March before letting Huntley go.
His time in the NFL began in 2020; despite not being invited to the annual scouting combine, Huntley took initiative to organize a Utah Pro Day where he shone. While the best QB at the combine, Cole McDonald, ran a 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds, Huntley managed to complete it in just 4.56. Elsewhere, another player being scouted by the league, Kelly Bryant, had an impressive broad jump of 125 inches. Tyler Huntley outdid this score too, jumping 128.5 inches.
