Who is the Dolphins' backup QB? Skylar Thompson remains the main replacement for Tua Tagovailoa

Despite a tough AFC wildcard loss to eventual Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, the 2023 Dolphins appear to have improved in their first year under head coach Mike McDaniel.

Miami's increasing success goes hand in hand with the increasingly strong numbers over the years of starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who finished the season 11-6. Since being selected fifth overall by the Dolphins in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Honolulu native had not played a full professional season until last year, when he finally led the league in passing.

However, Tagovailoa is extremely injury-prone. Since joining the Dolphins, he has suffered multiple concussions, a shoulder injury, broken fingers and ribs, and a sprained thumb. During his four-year NFL career, he has sat out nine games in which backup quarterbacks had to replace him.

Tagovailoa's supporting cast this year includes backup Skylar Thompson and practice squad slinger Tim Boyle. Here's everything you need to know about the Dolphins' quarterback lineup, including how Thompson remains a key backup to his starter.

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1. Tua Tagovailoa

The 26-year-old quarterback had his best season to date last year. He played 17 games for Miami and finished the season as the league's leading passer with 4,624 yards. His 388 passes included 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, which equates to just under 70 percent of the passes caught and an overall rating of 101.0.

In his first game of the 2024 regular season against the Jaguars, Tagovailoa led all Week 1 quarterbacks in passing with 388 yards and a touchdown in a 20-17 win. Expectations are high for him this year to lead the Dolphins past the first round of the playoffs, where they have failed the past two seasons.

If Tagovailoa stays injury-free, he could see a repeat of last regular season, when he was the league's most prolific passer. However, with Miami facing the Bills in the AFC East, the road to the playoffs will not be easy for Miami.

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2. Skylar Thompson

Thompson was selected by the Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Kansas State and has been a member of the team's quarterback room ever since. He was Miami's third pick the past two years, backing up Mike White last year and Teddy Bridgewater the year before that.

Thompson made his NFL debut in Week 5 of his rookie year against the Jets after Bridgewater left the game with a concussion – the same injury Tagovailoa was dealing with at the time. He started two of the seven games he played in the 2022 regular season and threw for a total of 534 yards on 60 completed passes with one touchdown and three interceptions.

The quarterback was also named Miami's starter for the wild-card game against the Bills that same year, and Thompson delivered a valiant performance that day, throwing for 220 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Despite losing to Buffalo, he helped the Dolphins stay in contention. They entered the game as 14-point underdogs and lost just 34-31.

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3. Tim Boyle

Tim Boyle was signed to the Dolphins' practice squad on August 29 and has been in the NFL since signing with the Packers as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2018 season. He made his first professional appearance the following year, briefly appearing in two games for Green Bay.

Boyle became an unrestricted free agent in 2021 and made his first career start with the Lions that year in place of the injured Jared Goff. He played in five games for Detroit and threw for 526 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions on 64.9 percent passing. After signing a one-year contract extension with the team in March 2022, Boyle was released in late August and signed by the Bears off the Lions' practice squad in November.

With the quarterback seeing minimal playing time in Chicago during the 2022 season, he signed with the Jets in the offseason and eventually became the backup to Zach Wilson, who had replaced the injured Aaron Rodgers, during the 2023 season. Last year, Boyle played in three games for New York, recording 48 completions, 360 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions.