MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa was limited in Wednesday's practice as the Miami Dolphins quarterback deals with a right hip injury that sidelined him in Week 17.
Tagovailoa did not do much during the portion of practice that was open to reporters. He stretched, jogged and tossed a football a few yards to backup quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley.
Coach Mike McDaniel said Huntley will get more practice reps this week than Tagovailoa with a game at the New York Jets coming up that the Dolphins need to win to have a chance at the last AFC wild-card spot.
“Today, I'm approaching it as I think Snoop is starting today,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “Obviously the team — it's very easy for us to adjust as the week progresses. But I think you have to approach it a certain way, and then it's an easy adjustment that we're definitely open-minded to, considering our timeline last week.”
Miami needs to win and have the Broncos lose to the Chiefs — who have the AFC's top seed wrapped up and will start Carson Wentz at quarterback — to earn a playoff berth.
“That’s what our focus has been firmly on,” McDaniel said of the upcoming matchup, “and I just really like the way our football has progressed during the season. And this game is another opportunity to put our best foot forward, and we absolutely have an opportunity to play in the playoffs. We know our part of the bargain. That opportunity doesn't exist unless we take care of it.”
Tagovailoa has not been ruled out of Sunday's game.
He was hurt when he took a shot outside the pocket at Houston on Dec. 15, and he aggravated the injury against San Francisco the next week. It is the same hip that Tagovailoa dislocated while in college at Alabama in 2019, which required season-ending surgery, but it is not the same injury, McDaniel said Monday.
Huntley would make his second straight start if Tagovailoa is unable to play. It would be his fifth start for the Dolphins, who signed Huntley off Baltimore's practice squad when Tagovailoa went on injured reserve with a concussion in September.
Huntley completed 22 of 26 passes for 225 yards with one touchdown passing and one rushing in a win at Cleveland last week.
And he has experience playing against Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
In his third career start in 2021, Huntley replaced an injured Lamar Jackson and nearly led the Ravens back from a 31-17 deficit against Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
“We lost by one point,” Huntley said Wednesday, “but I feel like that was a big game. At the time, I think they only had lost four games that year. I can't remember. They were a great team. That was a pretty good game.”
He also adds another element to Miami's offense with his ability to extend plays with his legs. Huntley led the Dolphins in rushing with 52 yards on seven attempts against the Browns.
McDaniel said Huntley earned the confidence of his teammates pretty quickly.
“There's been a lot of preparation that went into that Cleveland Browns game, I'll tell you that,” McDaniel said. “He should be confident in his skills, and he is. That was something that was pretty evident and obvious how he boldly took control of the huddle being a couple weeks in, earlier in the season.
“There's an ‘it factor’ that you talk about with quarterbacks, where you can galvanize and get people to believe they're primed to have success with him leading. So I think he absolutely fits the bill for the timing of his ascension into playing."
NOTES: The Dolphins placed offensive lineman Kendall Lamm (back) on injured reserve. Lamm made seven starts at right tackle this season. Miami also signed tackle Braeden Daniels off Dallas’ practice squad on Wednesday.
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Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, right, greets quarterback Tyler Huntley (18) as he comes off the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa stands on the field before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/)
