Putting Thompson's Performance in Perspective

Quarterback Skylar Thompson’s first start for the Miami Dolphins in 21 months didn’t go nearly as well as hoped, even before he was forced out of the game because of a rib injury.

It was a tough all-around for the Dolphins in the 24-3 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, and as the quarterback, Thompson was front and center.

Thompson finished his abbreviated afternoon 13-for-19 passing for 107 yards and a passer rating of 82.6. His longest pass of the game was a 22-yard completion to De’Von Achane on the Dolphins’ first offensive snap.

It wasn’t the kind of performance that inspired a lot of confidence moving forward, though QB Darrell Bevell pointed out there were tough circumstances involved.

“I think obviously Seattle is an underrated place … well, probably not underrated, I mean, I've had a lot of experience with it and tried to communicate … but it was really loud, there was a lot of chaos that was going on in the game and some of that was, by the way, the game was being managed in a lot of different ways, not to put anybody's names on it,” Bevell said Thursday. “But so just handling all that, I thought he did a really good job of that. There were a couple times he let the ball rip, but then as he'll tell you, there was a couple times that he should have let it go and a couple other opportunities.

“There was still some plays to be made and those are why we continue to get back in the lab and go evaluate it and then go back out and practice it and try to get better.”

THOMPSON AND THE DOLPHINS OFFENSE

As Bevell mentioned, one noticeable issue in the Seattle game was Thompson’s penchant for holding the ball in the pocket instead of letting it rip.

The ability to throw quickly is maybe the thing that Tua Tagovailoa does best when he and the offense are operating at peak efficiency.

“Well, I mean that's the basis of our offense,” Bevell said. “Our offense is a very elite-timing offense. You'll see us put our foot in the ground and let it go quicker than most other teams in the league. Tua is very elite at that and it's something that we ask of all our quarterbacks, so that timing is super important.

“There's a few opportunities that he had a chance to let it rip and he'll be the first one to tell you. He's hard on himself and he'll be the first one to tell you that he should let some of them go.”

In the big picture, Bevell said Thompson should be judged from the totality of his work and not just the disappointing performance at Seattle when it comes to giving him another start.

“I think you take in the full body of work,” Bevell said. “We've had Skylar since day one. I think you guys can remember back to the young rookie that started in a playoff game and did really well for himself in that game, which was a hostile environment, some tough atmospheres. He's been through a great battle here in training camp with Mike White and those two really went at it and he competed hard.

“So he deserves opportunities when he's able to get them. Unfortunately, he ended up getting hurt in that game and that's going to set him back a little bit. He's still working through this week to see

where he can get it to, but there's a lot obviously that goes into that. How much does that change his reps and you know does that rep count effect if he would be able to play and be effective, so he's going to continue to work at it but you really take in the full body of work.”