Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Tua Tagovailoa is coming off a season when he was able to play all 17 regular season games for the first time in his NFL career, but if he is unable to repeat that feat during the 2024 NFL campaign, the Miami Dolphins may be in good hands with backup quarterback Mike White.
A training group he appears to be working with uploaded a promising video of him to social media in a post emphasizing that the Dolphins have multiple quarterbacks capable of winning a game.
The 29-year-old is about to enter his second season with the Dolphins. Thanks to the durability of Tagovailoa last season, White got very little work. He did appear in six games but attempted just six passes and didn’t make a start.
His accuracy was evident as he completed five of those six passes, recording 74 passing yards and one touchdown pass. All but seven of those yards came in a Week 3 game against the Denver Broncos, when he took over for Tagovailoa during an astonishing 70-20 victory.
White joined the Dolphins last offseason on a two-year contract worth $8 million. That might be considered a significant price to pay for a backup quarterback, but Tagovailoa has an injury history, and the Dolphins were looking for some insurance in case their starter were to miss time again.
It also took White away from the AFC East rival New York Jets. He got some attention by taking over for Zach Wilson at times and starting seven games over the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
He fashioned a 62.2 completion percentage for the Jets. He also authored a memorable 405-yard, three-touchdown game in the 2021 season and had back-to-back 300-yard games the following season.
Tagovailoa remains in search of a contract extension which has not come to fruition as of yet, despite him and the Dolphins continuing to negotiate. The situation has been described as “complicated” this offseason, and with the start of training camp approaching quickly, there may be an outside chance of the 26-year-old holding out while he seeks a lucrative new deal.
Though it may be an unlikely scenario that would keep Tagovailoa out of any meaningful games, the Dolphins have to feel somewhat confident that they can call on White if neede