SKYLAR THOMPSON SUFFERS 'PAINFUL' RIB INJURY IN LOSS TO SEAHAWKS

AP

SEATTLE -- Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson left midway through the third quarter of Sunday's 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks after suffering what coach Mike McDaniel called a painful rib injury.

Making his first start of the season in place of the injured Tua Tagovailoa, Thompson took a hard hit on Miami's second drive of the third quarter and remained down for several minutes while medical trainers attended to him. He was ultimately able to leave the field and return to the Dolphins' locker room under his own power.

Third-string quarterback Tim Boyle entered the game for Thompson. Boyle was signed to the Dolphins' practice squad prior to Week 1 and was elevated this past week after Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve.

McDaniel said Thompson suffered a rib injury and wanted to play through it; ultimately, the Dolphins will not know the full extent of Thompson's injury until Monday.

"I haven't talked to Skylar as of the end of the game," McDaniel said after Sunday's game. "It was a rib injury that was pretty painful. And half the pain or half of the frustration for him, I think, was he was trying to find a way to not come out of the game. And ultimately it was pretty painful. He fought through it, but we'll get a chance to look at him tomorrow."

Before leaving, Thompson completed 13 of 19 passes for 107 yards. He was sacked five times in his fourth career start.

McDaniel didn't reveal what the Dolphins' plan is for the upcoming week if Thompson is unable to go for Miami's home matchup against Tennessee next Monday night. Miami did sign Tyler Huntley off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad last week, but he was not active for Sunday's game. Huntley was listed as the team's emergency quarterback.

Boyle completed 7 of 9 passes for 79 yards, adding a 6-yard scramble on the ground as well.

He nearly led the Dolphins to their lone touchdown drive of the day but threw an incomplete pass on fourth down at the Seattle 2-yard line; the Dolphins earned nine first downs in the game, four of which came on that drive.

"It's an attitude game. Go out there, we're down a couple scores. But you got to go out and prove what you've got," Boyle said. "It builds a lot of character as a person, as a competitor. I'm glad we put a couple drives together. Obviously, we got stopped there on fourth down at the goal line. When you're struggling like that, you're trying to find completions, you're trying to find positive yards and put a drive together."

Boyle said nothing about his preparation would change if he were to start next week's game against the Tennessee Titans; it's unclear whether he or Huntley would get the nod in the event Thompson is not cleared to play.

- Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN

DOLPHINS PLACE QB TUA TAGAVAILOA ON IR AFTER CONCUSSION

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left Thursday night's game after suffering the third diagnosed concussion of his NFL career. AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

MIAMI -- The Miami Dolphins placed Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve Tuesday after the quarterback suffered another concussion in Thursday's loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Per NFL rules, Tagovailoa must remain on injured reserve for at least four games. There is no timetable for how long Miami plans to keep him on IR as he focuses on his health before his return to the field.

It is the third diagnosed concussion of Tagovailoa's NFL career.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel on Monday said Tagovailoa wouldn't be placed on IR until more information became available, but the decision was made Tuesday after further evaluation.

Miami signed quarterback Tyler Huntley from the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. Per NFL rules, the Dolphins must allocate a spot on their 53-man roster to Huntley for at least their next three games.

"We got to learn firsthand a nice reminder of how it only takes one play and what you think your depth is changes abruptly," McDaniel said. "So that's a move for moving forward to secure some depth in case of the unforeseen, which is timelines for us as it relates to Tua."

Third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson will start Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks now that Tagovailoa has officially been ruled out.

Thompson did not play during the 2023 season, but he 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.

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.

"I do think that it helps the dynamics of the [quarterbacks] room to add another guy with starting history to this team," McDaniel said of Huntley. "He's 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."

Third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson will start Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks now that Tagovailoa has officially been ruled out.

Thompson did not play during the 2023 season, but he 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.

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.

"I do think that it helps the dynamics of the [quarterbacks] room to add another guy with starting history to this team," McDaniel said of Huntley. "He's 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."

Tagovailoa suffered the injury while scrambling up the middle for a first down and making forcible contact with his helmet to the forearm of Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Tagovailoa immediately went into a fencing response with his arms in an unnatural position.

Medical trainers attended to Tagovailoa for several minutes as players kneeled around him. He was ultimately able to walk off the field and into the locker room under his own power but was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game.

The next four games will push Tagovailoa's career total of games missed due to injury to 14 since 2020. He played all 18 of the Dolphins' regular-season and playoff games in 2023.

Also Tuesday, the Dolphins announced the signing of offensive lineman Jackson Carman to the practice squad and the release of wide receiver Robbie Chosen.

- Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN