Dolphins release quarterback Mike White, leaving Thompson as No. 2 QB. And tight end cut

The Dolphins are releasing veteran quarterback Mike White, a move that establishes Skylar Thompson as the team’s likely backup quarterback.

White’s release was the first confirmed cut among at least 37 that must happen before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. roster cut-down day. Tight end Jody Fortson also was released, according to a source.

Also on Sunday, the Dolphins placed receiver Anthony Schwartz onseason-ending injured reserve. He sustained a torn ligament in hisleft knee during Friday’s preseason loss to Tampa Bay.

As for the backup quarterback competition, White performed unevenly during training camp and was poor in preseason, completing only 20 of 43 passes for 179 yards.

Thompson had consistently taken second-team quarterback reps in practice for the past two weeks and cemented his position as the No. 2 quarterback by outplaying White in the preseason finale at Tampa Bay.

“With Skylar, he got the opportunity to play early in his career and I thought, as a rookie, he demonstrated some aggressiveness and ability to make plays in this league,” coach Mike McDaniel said late Friday night, while declining to say if Thompson had won the No. 2 job.

“It’s been about, since then, training his craft and really owning the quarterback position within the offense and I thought this preseason, he’s exhibited growth and what that means. It means you are the leader of the unit, that you have to orchestrate play calls, decision making, all of those things, and I thought he took a good step forward tonight.”

White’s $3.5 million salary was not guaranteed for this season. He would have had a $5.2 million cap hit if he had made the team. Instead, he will have a $1.7 million dead money cap hit.

Thompson is due to make $985,000, with a $1 million cap hit. He’s also under contract for 2025. White, conversely, had only 2024 remaining on his two-year contract.

White ended up making six appearances for the Dolphins in his only season with the team, completing five of six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.

Thompson, a former seventh-round pick, has appeared in eight games and started three for Miami over his two seasons with the team, with all of those appearances coming in 2022.

During seven regular season appearances in 2022, Thompson completed 60 of 105 passes for 534 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions, equal to a 62.2 passer rating.

With Tua Tagovailoa and then-backup Teddy Bridgewater both unavailable, Thompson started the Dolphins’ 34-31 playoff loss to Buffalo in the 2022 season and completed 18 of 45 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown and two interceptions, equal to a 44.7 passer rating.

But the Dolphins believe Thompson has improved considerably since his rookie season.

“I think everyone can relate in every aspect of life, when you put time into something and feel the results and feel that pay off, it’s a pretty cool thing,” Thompson said after completing 19 of 27 passes for 190 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Friday’s preseason loss to Tampa Bay.

“This whole camp, my mindset has been the same, I’ve just been really focused on the right things and just trying to get better each and every day and just trusting that – even when it doesn’t feel like it, still trusting it and putting in the work to do so.”

Fortson, meanwhile, was let go after an inconsistent performance in training camp. He missed nine days of camp with a stinger. Fortson had spent the previous five seasons with Kansas City.