It was right there all along, buried in the middle of comments about a preseason finale we’ve already flushed from memory. Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was tipping his hand on which direction he was going when it came to the decision on his backup quarterback.

It was Skylar Thompson.

And it wasn’t really much of a decision at all.

Thompson had clearly outplayed Mike White, both in practices and preseason games. He had earned the right to be Tua Tagovailoa’s wingman.

White’s only claim to the job was his command of the huddle. Because when it came to putting footballs in the air, when it came to moving the team downfield, this contest was no contest.

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After the game against Tampa Bay on Friday night, McDaniel was asked about Thompson’s progress since the Dolphins drafted him in the seventh round out of Kansas State in 2022.

“He exhibited growth and what that means — it means you are the leader of the unit,” McDaniel said. “That you have to orchestrate play calls, decision-making, all of those things.”

So there you have it. White’s edge was no edge at all.

To be fair, White had plenty stacked against him this preseason. Not only was he lining up with the bottom of the roster, but with wide receivers masquerading as running backs. White even said that one day deep into the future when those guys run into each other, it would be a “this one time, at training camp,” kind of joke.

“It's almost so bizarre that it was funny,” White said.

But in the moment, there was nothing funny about the jam White was in. Even so, numbers such as his 4-for-14 performance for 26 yards in one game were downright unsightly. White finished the preseason completing 20 passes in three games. Thompson nearly completed that many in the finale alone (19).

Rolled into one, White completed just 46.5 percent for 179 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions for a 58.2 rating.

Thompson completed 57.4 percent for 346 yards, three TDs, two INTs and a 76.3 rating.

Skylar Thompson's improvement is obvious

The numbers say this battle wasn’t close. Your eyes said the same thing. Growth may be the most important word of all here. You watched Thompson, you couldn’t help but notice the growth. White? Not so much.

“A lot of plays tonight, I felt growth and I felt the reward of putting time into getting better,” Thompson said after the Buccaneers game.

As well he should. We mustn’t forget that Thompson was just a rookie when pressed into that wild-card game in Buffalo two years ago. Although he didn’t pull off miracles, he was good enough that the Dolphins scored 31 points, a total they surely would have taken entering the game.

Thompson no longer is the quarterback he was back then. He’s better. That doesn’t make him the best backup in the league. It doesn’t mean folks won’t get antsy should Tagovailoa be unable to go on any given Sunday.

It just means he clearly was the best option McDaniel had. And if training camp isn’t to determine the best men for the job, why bother?

“My mind has been in the right spot coming into this camp,” Thompson said. “It’s all been, ‘I’m going to make this roster.’ That wasn’t even a question for me.”

In the end, it wasn’t a question, period.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Skylar Thompson an easy pick to back up Tua Tagovailoa for Miami Dolphins