How Darrell Bevell’s experience, demeanor have helped amid the Dolphins QB carousel

Skylar Thompson’s NFL debut will always be memorable, just for the weirdness of it all.

Teddy Bridgewater, starting for the injured Tua Tagovailoa, was removed from an early-October road game against the New York Jets because of the league’s concussion protocol after a seemingly innocuous tackle.

With limited practice reps, the seventh-round pick was tasked with leading the offense. When he went to the sideline, the veteran voices he would usually lean on were absent. That day, he heard from quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell a little more than usual.

“You’re hoping that the preparation that you’ve done throughout the week, the mental reps that the next guy was getting during the week and basically the reps that you had during training camp would be able to hold over to let you have a good chance to be successful,” Bevell told the Miami Herald Thursday as he recounted the game.

Injuries have struck various position groups this season, but none have been more consequential than at quarterback. Tagovailoa has missed four games this season because of concussions. Up until Week 18, the Dolphins had never completed a game Tagovailoa didn’t start without another quarterback injury.

Bevell, 53, has been an influential and calming voice not only during Tagovailoa’s breakout season but amid myriad changes for the position group. As the offensive staff works to get Thompson prepared for his third career start — and first postseason game — against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Bevell’s experience and demeanor are something that not only Thompson but the entire position room have found valuable.

“He’s able to relate in so many ways,” Bridgewater said.

There’s a saying within the Dolphins quarterback room that has served as a mantra for whoever is on the field: Let every play stand on its own merit. It comes from Bevell, though he admits he’s not sure exactly where he picked it up from.

It’s a reminder to not let the previous play — whether good or bad — impact what’s to come next.

The mentality has not only helped the players he coaches but was a mindset he once took on from an early age.

Bevell grew up in Arizona and was a standout quarterback at Chaparral High in Scottsdale, playing for his father, Jim.

His father had his own saying — “Never let them see you sweat” — one that he also embraces to this day.

When Mike McDaniel was hired as Dolphins head coach, one of his biggest priorities was bringing in a quarterbacks coach who had experience developing players. Bevell checked all the boxes. He not only was a college quarterback at Wisconsin, finishing as the program’s passing leader, but he had also spent most of the last two decades bringing out the best in quarterbacks such as Brett Favre, Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford.

McDaniel and Bevell never worked on the same coaching staff. But they met for a brief moment at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2006 and McDaniel continued to follow Bevell’s career, which included stints as an offensive coordinator with the Vikings, Seahawks, Lions and Jaguars, and interim head coach roles in Detroit and Jacksonville.

Bevell, who also holds the title of pass game coordinator, has taken a role in the weekly game plans with McDaniel and the rest of the offensive staff.

“You can’t find a more trustworthy, honest, loyal human being. He’s been huge for that room,” McDaniel said.

Bevell’s tenure in Seattle, which included a Super Bowl victory in the 2014 season, is in some ways marred by the infamous play-call in the following year’s Super Bowl. Facing the Patriots, the Seahawks opted to throw a pass on the goal line with Wilson instead of handing the ball to Marshawn Lynch. After the pass was intercepted by Malcolm Butler, denying the Seahawks a chance to repeat as champions, Bevell received the brunt of the criticism as the play-caller, though coach Pete Carroll took the blame for the decision.

The experience, in a way, makes Bevell the perfect messenger for his “Let every play stand on its own merit” mantra, a moment he didn’t want to let define him.

“That’s been my journey as playing the quarterback position, learning that,” Bevell said, “and then in coaching situations as well, to be able to learn that and use that.”

Bevell, working alongside assistant quarterbacks coach Chandler Henley, has had a hand in the development of Tagovalioa, as has McDaniel and the offensive system he’s built.

Tagovalioa has noted the emphasis Bevell placed on his footwork in a rhythm-focused passing scheme and using that as a guide through progressions. Bevell has assisted in Tagovailoa’s preparation, most notably meeting with him hours before game day to visualize plays on the field. It’s arguably the biggest change in Tagovailoa and it came as a result of insight from Bevell into the study habits of top quarterbacks he’s worked with.

“I think having someone of his personality where regardless of how cool you guys are, if you’re not on top of your stuff, he’s going to let you know; that’s kind of the relationship that I would say I have with him,” Tagovailoa said in November.

Without Tagovailoa, the Dolphins’ offense has struggled, failing to eclipse 21 points in the four games he’s missed. But McDaniel has lauded the work Bevell has done to prepare the quarterbacks. Players have praised Bevell’s calm, but direct manner, which not only helps offset the highs and lows that come with the position but makes it easy to know what is expected of them.

Offensive coordinator Frank Smith called Bevell “the perfect complement to what we’re doing with the quarterbacks.“

“He is so just methodical in his approach,” Smith said in November. “On the little details of all the things, he’s just always so locked in on making sure that the quarterbacks are fundamentally sound, understanding the execution of each play, the timing of each play, understanding the nuances of what we’re trying to do.”

When he’s working with the starting quarterback during games, Bevell said the role he takes on may change depending on the situation. “Sometimes you’re either being a cheerleader or you’re being a psychologist and trying to get them in good places if they’re not in a good place,” he said.

Said Bridgewater: “After a good play or a bad play, your emotions can be all over the place. He’s always there to bring you back down if you’re too high and bring you up if you’re too low.”

Though no formal interviews have been requested, Bevell’s name has been floated for possible coordinator openings. For now, with a raucous atmosphere awaiting at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, Bevell will again take on the many hats he holds on game day, helping guide Thompson through a high-stakes playoff game.

“His demeanor, the way that he approaches the coaching of the quarterback position, I think has helped our entire room of just staying calm, cool and collected through everything that we’ve experienced this year,” Thompson said. “He does a great job throughout the week of just prepping us and getting us ready for the game and proposing different situations, looks that just kind of help run things through our mind to where when we get to the game, we can play fast.”