Dolphins Results with Backup QBs Not Uncommon

It's really easy to point to the performance of the backup quarterbacks as the biggest reason the Miami Dolphins failed to make the playoffs this season (guilty as charged), but there is one major question that needs to be asked.

What else did we expect?

It's not just about Tua Tagovailoa, Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley and the big gap between their capabilities as NFL quarterbacks, but rather about a simple truth when it comes to the NFL.

Having to rely on backup quarterbacks simply is not a recipe for success.

Never has been.

For the Dolphins or any of the other teams.

Tagovailoa missed six starts during the 2024 season as the result of his third diagnosed concussions in two years, making the Dolphins of six teams whose starting QB missed five or more games because of injuries.

The others were the Cleveland Browns with Deshaun Watson, Dallas Cowboys with Dak Prescott, Jacksonville Jaguars with Trevor Lawrence, New Orleans Saints with Derek Carr and Pittsburgh Steelers with Russell Wilson.

Of those teams, only one made the playoffs, that being the Steelers.

It was more of the same last year when five teams had their starting QB miss five or more starts because of injuries and only the Cleveland Browns with Joe Flacco taking over for Deshaun Watson made the playoffs.

The Dolphins finished with an 8-9 record in 2024, with the Dolphins going 6-5 with Tagovailoa starting at quarterback, 2-3 with Huntley, and 0-1 with Thompson, who's now a member of those aforementioned Steelers.

Additional reading:
-- Would the Dolphins actually draft a QB early?
-- Five biggest reasons the Dolphins didn't make the playoffs

-- The trouble with the Tua mandate
-- Why the backup QB explanation doesn't wash

PAR FOR THE COURSE FOR THE DOLPHINS

That the Dolphins would have a losing record with a backup starting at quarterback is nothing new.

The last time the Dolphins had a winning record with a backup making more than one start at quarterback was 2016 when Matt Moore won back-to-back games against the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills to help Miami secure a playoff spot after Ryan Tannehill went down with a knee injury.

In 2009, the Dolphins had a 7-6 record with Chad Henne at quarterback after he replaced Chad Pennington early in a third consecutive loss to start the season.

THE GREAT DOLPHINS BACKUP QUARTERBACKS

Of course, if we're talking Dolphins backup quarterbacks, the discussion always starts and ends with Earl Morrall, who took over for an injured Bob Griese in the sixth game of the 1972 season and helped Miami complete a perfect regular season before he was replaced in the AFC Championship Game.

Don Strock, who backed up Hall of Famers Bob Griese and Dan Marino, deserves a tip of the hat for his brilliant 14-6 in his starts for the Dolphins.

But those were exceptions rather than the rule.

Since 1990, the Dolphins have been forced to start a backup quarterback five or more games in a season 10 times. The Dolphins have produced a winning record in those games with their backups three of those 10 times — in 1999, 2003 and 2009.

The 1999 season stands out because it's the only one since 1978 (with Strock) where the Dolphins were able to make the playoffs with a backup having to start at least five games at quarterback. This was Jimmy Johnson's final year as Dolphins head coach, and what's even more remarkable about that season is that Miami had a much better record with Damon Huard starting at quarterback (4-1) as it did with Marino (5-6) in the final season of his Hall of Fame career.

But what happened this season was more in line with 2002 when the Dolphins had a 7-3 record with Jay Fiedler starting at quarterback but only 2-4 with Ray Lucas starting when Fiedler was sidelined with injuries, and they ended up missing the playoffs.

The moral of the story: The Dolphins need Tagovailoa to stay healthy.

DOLPHINS WON-LOSS RECORDS WITH BACKUP QUARTERBACKS (SINCE 1999)
Note: Record reflects who started the game

2024 (2-4) — Tyler Huntley 2-3, Skylar Thompson 0-1
Starting QB: Tua Tagovailoa, team final record: 8-9

2022 (1-3) — Skylar Thompson 1-1, Teddy Bridgewater 0-2
Starting QB: Tua Tagovailoa, team final record: 9-8

2021 (2-3) — Jacoby Brissett 2-3
Starting QB: Tua Tagovailoa, team final record: 9-8

2020 (1-0) — Ryan Fitzpatrick 1-0 (note: Fitzpatrick started one game after Tagovailoa replaced him as the starting quarterback)
Starting QBs: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tua Tagovailoa, team final record: 10-6

2018 (2-3) — Brock Osweiler 2-3
Starting QB: Ryan Tannehill, team final record: 7-9

2017 (0-2) — Matt Moore 0-2
Starting QB: Jay Cutler, team final record: 6-10

2016 (2-1) — Matt Moore 2-1
Starting QB: Ryan Tannehill, team final record: 10-6

2011 (6-6) — Matt Moore 6-6
Starting QB: Chad Henne, team final record: 6-10

2010 (1-1) — Chad Pennington 1-0, Tyler Thigpen 0-1
Starting QB: Chad Henne, team final record: 7-9

2009 (7-6) — Chad Henne 7-6
Starting QB: Chad Pennington, team final record 7-9

2007 (1-10) — Cleo Lemon 1-6, John Beck 0-4
Starting QB: Trent Green, team final record 1-15

2006 (5-7) — Joey Harrington 5-6, Cleo Lemon 0-1
Starting QB: Daunte Culpepper, team final record 6-10

2005 (0-1) — Sage Rosenfels 0-1
Starting QB: Gus Frerotte, team final record 9-7

2003 (3-2) — Brian Griese 3-2
Starting QB: Jay Fiedler, team final record 10-6

2002 (2-4) — Ray Lucas 2-4
Starting QB: Jay Fiedler, team final record 9-7

2000 (1-0) — Damon Huard 1-0
Starting QB: Jay Fiedler, team final record 11-5

1999 (4-1) — Damon Huard 4-1
Starting QB: Dan Marino, team final record 9-7