Tua Tagovailoa was limited in Wednesday’s practice as he continues to deal with a right hip injury that kept him out of Week 17.
During the part of practice that was open to reporters, Tagovailoa didn’t do much. He stretched, jogged, and threw a football a few yards to backup quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley.
Coach Mike McDaniel mentioned that Huntley will get more practice reps this week since the Dolphins have an important game coming up against the New York Jets. Miami needs to win to stay in the race for the final AFC wild-card spot.
“Today, I’m approaching it as I think Snoop is starting today,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “Obviously the team — it’s very easy for us to adjust as the week progresses. But I think you have to approach it a certain way, and then it’s an easy adjustment that we’re definitely open-minded to, considering our timeline last week.”
Miami needs a win and also requires the Broncos to lose to the Chiefs, who have already secured the AFC’s top seed and will start Carson Wentz at quarterback. This will give the Dolphins a chance at a playoff spot.
“That’s what our focus has been firmly on,” McDaniel said, talking about the upcoming game. “I just really like the way our football has progressed during the season.
And this game is another opportunity to put our best foot forward, and we absolutely have an opportunity to play in the playoffs. We know our part of the bargain. That opportunity doesn’t exist unless we take care of it.”
Tagovailoa has not been ruled out for Sunday’s game.
He got hurt when he took a hit outside the pocket against Houston on Dec. 15, and the injury got worse the following week against San Francisco. This is the same hip Tagovailoa dislocated while at Alabama in 2019, which required surgery to end his season. However, McDaniel said this is not the same injury.
If Tagovailoa can’t play, Huntley would make his second straight start. It would also be his fifth start for the Dolphins, who signed him off the Ravens’ practice squad when Tagovailoa went on injured reserve with a concussion in September.
Huntley completed 22 of 26 passes for 225 yards, with one touchdown pass and one rushing touchdown, in a win over Cleveland last week.
He also has experience playing against Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In his third career start in 2021, Huntley stepped in for an injured Lamar Jackson and nearly led the Ravens to a comeback victory against Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
“We lost by one point,” Huntley said Wednesday, “but I feel like that was a big game. At the time, I think they only had lost four games that year. I can’t remember. They were a great team. That was a pretty good game.”
Huntley adds another dimension to Miami’s offense with his ability to extend plays using his legs. He led the Dolphins in rushing with 52 yards on seven carries against the Browns.
McDaniel said Huntley quickly earned the trust of his teammates.
“There’s been a lot of preparation that went into that Cleveland Browns game, I’ll tell you that,” McDaniel said. “He should be confident in his skills, and he is. That was something that was pretty evident and obvious how he boldly took control of the huddle being a couple weeks in, earlier in the season.
“There’s an ‘it factor’ that you talk about with quarterbacks, where you can galvanize and get people to believe they’re primed to have success with him leading. So I think he absolutely fits the bill for the timing of his ascension into playing.”
