Former Kansas State Wildcat Skylar Thompson hadn’t seen the NFL field since the 2022 AFC Wild Card game with the Miami Dolphins, when he was called in as the starter for the injured Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater. Now, two years later, Thompson was named Tagovailoa’s backup quarterback and likely didn’t know if he’d see the field.

With the Dolphins trailing division rival Buffalo Bills 31-10, Tagovailoa was struggling for a first down late in the third quarter when he dove head-first into Bills safety Damar Hamlin and delivered a hard blow. The former Alabama quarterback remained on the ground and did not appear to be in good physical condition as the Dolphins medical staff rushed the field.

Tagovailoa was able to walk off the court and back to the locker room under his own power, but it was soon announced that the Dolphins starting forward had been ruled out with a concussion. It was his third official concussion in the last three seasons.

Concussions have been a troubling part of Tagovailoa’s professional career and now that he suffered another one tonight, the question is what the rest of the season will look like.

If that’s the case, Thompson could be the starter for the Dolphins, who are now in their third season in the NFL. Thompson had a tough hurdle to overcome, falling behind by 21 points and dealing with a pair of injuries to the Dolphins’ offensive line.

Thompson started out handing the ball off a lot, but because the Dolphins receivers couldn’t get much separation all night, it became a lot harder with a young backup in the game. For a young signal caller, though, Thompson’s reads look good for what he’s been assigned.

The Dolphins went on to lose the game 31-10, with Thompson finishing 8-for-14 with 80 passing yards and no touchdown passes, but also no interceptions. It’s probably safe to say that Thompson hasn’t gotten many reps with the starters in practice, and if he’s going to be the starter going forward, even if it’s just for next week, he should get those reps.

Thompson is still a young player in this league and he is a malleable player who is athletic and can scramble under pressure. Given the way the offensive line looks right now for the Dolphins, Thompson will likely showcase a lot of those skills if he is the starter.