DOLPHINS’ SITUATION AT QB REMAINS A MYSTERY
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel on Wednesday was noncommittal on a starting quarterback for the team’s must-win home game against the New York Jets on Sunday.
But as Teddy Bridgewater deals with a pinky injury, Miami has added insurance at the position, signing veteran Mike Glennon to the practice squad.
Bridgewater’s availability is uncertain after dislocating the pinky on his right (throwing) hand in Sunday’s loss to the New England
Patriots. Bridgewater, who was injured after throwing a picksix in the third quarter, was at practice completing ball-handling drills, but McDaniel said he cannot throw a football right now. During the portion of practice open to media, Bridgewater was only throwing footballs a few yards to a staffer.
“I can’t really forecast Teddy’s availability, so as a result [general manager] Chris [Grier] and I thought this was the best course,” McDaniel said of signing Glennon. “... It’s tough to know anything until [Bridgewater] can throw a football.”
If Bridgewater cannot play, rookie Skylar Thompson is expected to make his second start of the season. To secure the third and final AFC wild-card spot, the Dolphins must not only beat the Jets but need the Buffalo Bills to defeat the Patriots.
Starter Tua Tagovailoa was not at practice Wednesday as he remains in concussion protocol. Tagovailoa not yet returning to the practice field indicates he is still in the early stages of the protocol.
Thompson, a seventh-round pick, has appeared in six games, completing 54.1 percent of his passes for 382 yards, one touch
down and three interceptions. After Bridgewater was placed in concussion protocol one play into the Week 5 game at the Jets, Thompson completed 19 of 33 passes for 166 yards and one touchdown in a 40-17 loss.
The next week, he started against the Minnesota Vikings, a 24-16 loss. Thompson completed 7 of 13 passes for 89 yards but exited the game after injuring the thumb on his throwing hand in the second quarter. Thompson again entered Sunday’s game after Bridgewater injured his pinky in the third quarter against the Patriots; he completed 12 of 21 passes for 104 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the 23-21 loss.
Thompson said he saw “encouraging stuff” from the game film despite his late turnover.
“If I am in a position getting [starting] reps [in practice], it’s always going to help the continuity and being in sync with the offense in general,” said Thompson, the No. 247 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. “It helps any time you get reps up.”
Glennon, 33, has 31 starts, including four last year as a member of the New York Giants. The 10-year veteran has completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 7.025 yards, 47 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.
“I’ve gone up against him numerous times,” McDaniel said. “He’s a quarterback through and through. He’s been through multiple systems, understands what it takes for him to be able to speak the language in a fast amount of time, and I think he plays the position aggressively and with toughness that I really
respect.”
Glennon, in his first comments to local reporters Wednesday, said he continued to throw in Raleigh and “stay fresh and stay ready for an opportunity if it were to come.” As he watched Bridgewater’s injury unfold on TV last Sunday, Glennon quickly remembered a stat he saw — 64 quarterbacks have started an NFL game this season, tying a non-strike record set in 2007 — and wondered if an opportunity could possibly open.
By Monday night, he got a text from his agent that the Dolphins wanted to sign him.
“I have a 6-year-old son, I was taking him to basketball practice. And then next thing you know, I flew down [Tuesday],” Glennon said.
Glennon acknowledged the uniqueness of his situation. He hasn’t been on an NFL roster all season and spent the last several months watching as a fan. Now, he’s preparing for a role with a team that has playoff aspirations in the final week of the season.
“There is some similarity, but I can quickly tell this is a pretty complex offense, so I’ll be busy this week,” Glennon said.
I CAN QUICKLY TELL THIS IS A PRETTY COMPLEX OFFENSE, SO I’LL BE BUSY THIS WEEK. Mike Glennon