Dolphins will sign Huntley, won’t put Tua on IR

MIAMI — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will not be placed on injured reserve, coach Mike McDaniel said Monday, at least not until more information becomes available.

Tagovailoa remains in the NFL’s return to participation protocol after suffering a concussion in Thursday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. McDaniel said that it’s too early in the process to say whether Tagovailoa will be placed on injured reserve but that he and general manager Chris Grier will make that decision once further evaluations have been completed.

McDaniel declined to comment on reports that Tagovailoa is not considering retirement and reiterated what he told local media Friday — that Tagovailoa should be allowed to speak on his own career.

“As far as Tua’s career is concerned, I think it’s an utmost priority of mine for Tua to speak onto his career,” he said. “I think as far as I’m concerned, 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.”

McDaniel confirmed the Dolphins are signing quarterback Tyler Huntley from the Baltimore Ravens‘ practice squad. While the team publicly insists there is no timeline for Tagovailoa’s return, NFL rules essentially require players signed from another team’s practice squad to remain on their new team’s 53-man active roster for at least three weeks.

Teams can release the player before the three-week minimum but cannot replace him on their active roster until the requirement is satisfied.

McDaniel said Friday that he expects Tagovailoa to miss this week’s game against the Seahawks and that third-year veteran Skylar Thompson will start 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,” Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler said. “I have no hesitation about Skylar Thompson going out there as QB1 this week.”

Huntley has started 10 games in his four-year career, mostly for the Ravens. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2022 after helping guide them to the playoffs in place of Lamar Jackson. He started Baltimore’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Thompson, on the other hand, did not play during the 2023 season but started three games as a rookie in 2022, including a playoff loss on the road to the Bills.

McDaniel said the move to add Huntley “was not any direct reflection on Skylar” and was made to bolster the team’s depth.

“I do think that it helps the dynamics of the [quarterbacks] room to add another guy with starting history to this team,” McDaniel said. “[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 competition play out when it’s out on the field. But this is a depth move, for sure.”

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