The coach, assistant, starter, backup and No. 3 quarterback from 2023 all return to a Miami quarterback room that produced gaudy statistics. Let's meet the signal-callers heading into Dolphins training camp 2024:
The Cast:
- 1 Tua Tagovailoa
- 14 Mike White
- 16 Gavin Hardison
- 19 Skylar Thompson
The 2023 NFL passing leaderboard was littered with the name Tua Tagovailoa. Finishing top 10 in all major categories – top five in touchdowns (29), passer rating (101.1), yards per attempt (8.3) and sack percentage (4.9) – Tagovailoa also brought the first passing title to Miami since 1992 (Dan Marino), by piling up 4,624 yards through the air.
It's the second straight year of dominance for the Miami quarterback, who led the NFL in passer rating in 2022 (105.5). The advanced metrics paint an attractive picture of Tagovailoa's recent production. Pro Football Focus' big time throw statistic measures tight-window throws, typically deeper down the field. Tagovailoa had 36 big time throws in 2023, finishing fifth behind only Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford and Jordan Love.
Still, Tagovailoa is hard at work in search of that one percent improvement to take his game to another level. He spent the offseason training with private quarterback coach John Beck.
"I think for us to expect just as much if not more from Year 2 to Year 3 is very safe for our expectations and I know (Tua) feels the same way, too," Head Coach Mike McDaniel said. "That connectivity to your game and trying to unearth every single inch and iota of professional development … you're headed in the right direction."
Mike White returns for his second season with his hometown team. The Pembroke Pines native came on in relief of Tagovailoa in a couple of lopsided games, throwing a 68-yard touchdown in the process. In total, White complete five of his six passes for 74 yards and a 118.8 passer rating. As a member of the Jets in 2021, White threw for 405 yards in a win over the eventual AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals.
Challenging White for the backup role is third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson. After extensive playing time as a rookie, Thompson didn't take any regular season snaps in 2023. He threw a touchdown and completed 57.1 percent of his passes in two starts and seven appearances in 2022.
Rookie Gavin Hardison hopes to make the jump from the University of Texas El Paso to a 53-man roster. He threw for 7,962 yards and 40 touchdowns over a five-year career with the Miners.
You can join us for training camp, beginning July 28. Tickets are free, but require reservation, which you can find on the Training Camp page.
