Having Skylar Thompson On The 53 Man Roster Makes Sense
Skylar Thompson starred for Miami in all three preseason games. The discussion of his play has been all over Dolphins social media. Yes, Thompson’s 36-48-450-5-0 came against second and third string players, but Head Coach Mike McDaniel pretty much stated Skylar’s play was worthy of making the final 53 man roster.
The main reason for keeping three quarterbacks is Tua Tagovailoa’s and Teddy Bridgewater’s injury history. Keeping Thompson on the main roster and giving him reps with players who are more likely to be on the field makes sense. Thompson will get to see what is happening on the field on gameday and continue to learn and grow, which he needs to do as a rookie.
Keeping Three Quarterbacks Costs Depth Somewhere Else
What area of the team loses out if Miami keeps Thompson on the main roster? The Dolphins need all the depth they can get at offensive line, linebacker, and corner back. Costing the team depth at corner especially, given the NFL is a pass heavy league, is not a good thing.
Byron Jones injury further complicates who Miami keeps in the secondary. Signs point to him returning soon, but McDaniel has not given any clear word as to how soon. If Jones is healthy and ready to go against the New England Patriots then keeping Thompson does not hurt as much.
Thompson Earned The Opportunity
While McDaniel did not outright say Thompson was on the 53 man roster, he did say this: “It’s more than just his quarterback rating and his completion percentage. He has owned the responsibility of the quarterback in terms of all the other players on the field with him. He’s made them better by helping them get aligned, and we’ve had very few procedural issues. And so I think in preseason football, there are a lot of quarterbacks that get opportunities.”
He went to say “I think he’s opened eyes with the way he’s played, and it’s made that situation very tricky, in terms of whether or not you can try to have him on practice squad or keep him on the 53 (-man roster). But you know, much like a lot of players, I think he – especially one of the things I was most happy with in this past game is pretty much all the participants can hold their head high and stand on what they’ve done in the preseason, with the closing of it being last night. And he should hold his head high and hopefully rest easy because he has done quite literally everything you can to be a part of this team.”
All signs point to Thompson being on the roster after four PM Tuesday. His play shows he has earned the opportunity. The Dolphins just hope that Tua and Bridgewater are healthy and he does not have to play.
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