Life as a fringe NFL player is unforgiving, and Skylar Thompson has seen both the mountaintop and rock bottom. Just two years after nearly beating the Buffalo Bills with the Miami Dolphins in an AFC Wild Card game, the Kansas State alum is now out of work.
Miami waived Thompson on Saturday afternoon, via NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
The Dolphins drafted the Missouri native 247th overall in 2022 and unexpectedly had to give him significant snaps after starting signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa went down. Thompson completed 60 of 105 passes (57.1%) with one touchdown and three interceptions in the regular season before completing 18-of-45 passes with one score and two picks in the 34-31 playoff loss to the Bills.
Thompson didn't play in 2023, as Tagovailoa was fully healthy. However, the oft-injured quarterback went down once again this season, temporarily forcing the backup into action. Thompson finished with 21 completions out of 33 attempts (63.6%) for 187 yards.
The third-year signal-caller finishes his Miami tenure with four career starts.
Dolphins' Tyler Huntley is now lone Tua Tagovailoa backup
With Thompson now out of the picture, former Pro Bowl quarterback Tyler Huntley is Miami's only backup to Tagovailoa against the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Utah alum appeared in three games this year for Miami in the wake of both Tagovailoa and Thompson's injuries, passing for 377 yards with one touchdown and one interception in three appearances.
The Dolphins also activated wide receiver Grant DuBose off of injured reserve and signed defensive tackle Matt Dickerson to the 53-man roster from the practice squad, via NBC Sports. Dickerson has 42 tackles in 36 career NFL games, while DuBose has one catch for 13 yards thus far in his rookie campaign.
These moves come at a critical time for Miami, who's fighting to stay alive at 6-7. Facing the 8-5 Texans on the road, though, is a daunting challenge, as they sport the likes of Joe Mixon, who's tied for fifth in the NFL with 11 rushing scores, and Nico Collins, who led the league in receiving before missing time in October and November.