Miami Dolphins options with Tyler Huntley at quarterback

The Miami Dolphins have not yet announced who will start at quarterback for their Monday night contest against the Tennessee Titans, but there's a good chance Tyler “Snoop” Huntley will start at the first snap.

Huntley was signed off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad on Sept. 16, leaving him just two weeks as of Monday to integrate and learn the offense. Even if Huntley doesn't start Monday, it seems inevitable that he will play this season, especially if Tua Tagovailoa doesn't return from injured reserve after the four-week minimum expires.

To prepare you for Huntley's time as center, we watched film from his entire career and looked through stats to see what the Dolphins' offense might look like with Huntley.

Huntley spent the first four seasons of his career supporting Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. He started four games in 2021 and 2022 and finished those eight starts with a 3-5 record. Huntley also started and lost Baltimore's 2022 playoff game.

Huntley started one game against the Steelers last season, a 17-10 loss in the regular season finale. The Ravens had already secured the top seed, so Huntley was out there with all of Baltimore's backups when the weather turned bad.

Nevertheless, he only presented modest statistics. He was 15 of 28 for 146 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers while adding 40 rushing yards on eight carries. Modest is probably the nicest way to describe Huntley's career stats.

He has a 64.6 completion percentage in nine starts, eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Huntley ran the ball well, rushing for 509 yards and three touchdowns on 115 carries.

Many will point to Huntley making the Pro Bowl in 2022, but he was selected after several quarterbacks opted out of the game. In his Pro Bowl season, Huntley kept the Ravens in games but only threw two touchdowns compared to three interceptions.

To his credit, Huntley performed admirably in the postseason. His 226 passing yards and two touchdowns were better than any of his single-game regular-season totals.

However, numbers rarely, if ever, tell the whole story.

Although Huntley's numbers aren't impressive, he has kept the Ravens competitive during his starts in 2021 and 2022. As a backup quarterback, especially someone who isn't a former long-term starter, that's as good as you could hope for.

As a passer, Huntley's strengths clearly lie in the fast game. He is a snappy decision maker who is more than willing to take what the defense gives him. He makes his most accurate throws in the short middle of the pitch.

He makes reads quickly — sometimes to the point of error — and makes check-downs during the game when teams give them to him. Huntley sees the blitz fairly well before the snap. He showed the ability to substitute the blitzer for the football throughout his Ravens tenure.

Huntley is also an above-average athlete for the position. He has enough arm talent to operate outside of structure and generate positive plays when things go wrong.

This flows well into what is probably his greatest strength – climbing. Huntley is the best athlete the Dolphins have had at quarterback in a long time. Skylar Thompson has some ability to move behind the line, but Huntley is a real threat beyond that.

He's quick enough to gobble up easy yards and punish teams playing man coverage, and he's capable of winning on targeted quarterback runs. He's not the caliber of Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen, but defenses have to respect his fighting ability.

These are Huntley's strengths, but what about some of his disadvantages?

Huntley's main disadvantages are arm strength and accuracy. He lacks the arm strength to drive the ball into tight windows or to continually push the ball down the field. Huntley's average depth of target has fallen each season since he's been in the league.

His arm strength also limits his accuracy. When he's forced to throw outside the numbers beyond about 10 yards, he has a hard time making his receiver's job easier. He often plays passes on the wrong shoulder or simply misses his target.

His accuracy on vertical routes is also compromised, although there aren't many examples of him actually getting the ball out in the open.

Huntley's mobility is an asset, but at times he gives up clean pockets and reads openly to run rather than work within the structure of the play. This is less of a concern as long as Huntley is making positive plays with his legs.

However, if teams spy on him effectively or his athletic ability declines, it will significantly impact his success.

Overall, Huntley is a limited passer with solid athletic ability. He plays the fast game well and can create out of structure, avoid sacks and use his legs to get critical first downs. Nothing he does is overly impressive, but he is capable enough to put up a respectable offense when he has enough support around him.

It's pretty difficult to predict what the Dolphins will do with Huntley. First, Hutley has had two weeks to familiarize himself with the offense, which is very different from the offense he played in Baltimore.

Additionally, under head coach Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins have rarely deviated from their system when it comes to using backup quarterbacks. Whether it was Teddy Bridgewater or Thompson, the Dolphins didn't implement modified offenses to accommodate the players under center.

That's one of the many reasons why the team struggled so much on offense last week. Thompson was asked to do everything Tagovailoa does for the offense in a hostile environment.

If, after just two weeks in the system, the Dolphins ask Huntley to handle all the movement and ball fakes their offense normally has, it will likely end up just as bad as last week.

Let's put that aside and assume the Dolphins make some changes or simplify the offense significantly. What can we expect?

The Dolphins love to use the quick game to get the ball into the hands of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De'Von Achane. Those quick screens, swings and jet passes will likely stick on offense.

Huntley is also good at throwing sticks, curls and slants on his first read. The Dolphins were happy to push those routes downfield with Tua at quarterback, but it would be better for Huntley to let them run at a more traditional depth.

As far as formation goes, the Dolphins could use more blank looks. Huntley's career EPA per dropback is -0.08, but his EPA per dropback from idle is 0.11.

Last season, the Dolphins were tied for the NFL lead with an empty formation rate of 6 percent. This season, that number is closer to 5 percent, and they've only been blank in seven games against the Seahawks.

Huntley does his best work in the passing game when the defense is spread out, and he can easily spot his first attack. It also makes it easier for Huntley to mix things up as more defenders are drawn out of the box.

In general, the best thing Miami can do for Huntley in the passing game is to keep things simple.

Don't ask him to conduct an orchestra with a lot of complicated movements before the snapshot. He doesn't have to hit the timing routes over the middle with the same depth as Tua. Simple half-court concepts with a check-down option over the middle are more likely to play to Huntley's strengths.

Miami started simplifying things when Tim Boyle came into the game last week, so it's something they're capable of.

The most obvious adjustment for the running game is the addition of quarterback running elements. The Dolphins can replace some of the fancy pre-snap window dressing they like with the threat of the quarterback run.

Adding read options and quarterback power concepts to the playbook seems like a given. Huntley won't be dominant on the ground, but even the threat of the quarterback run will force defenses to exploit their gaps differently.

The Dolphins should also try to run the ball between the tackles more often. Miami averages 4.6 yards per carry up the middle but ranks in the bottom 10 of the league when running outside the tackle.

This part doesn't directly affect Huntley, but regardless of how many adjustments the Dolphins make, the running game will likely have to carry the team on offense. This support will only make Huntley better.