Mike White

Panthers To Add QB Mike White To Practice Squad

October 20th, 2025 at 9:37pm CST by Ben Levine

As Bryce Young nurses a high ankle sprain that’s expected to sideline him for at least Week 8, the Panthers are adding some quarterback depth. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Panthers are signing Mike White to their practice squad.

After being drafted by the Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, White embarked on a tour of the AFC East. He had a notable stop in New York, where he went 2-5 in seven starts with the Jets. That stint still represents the majority of his career tape, and he ended his stint with the team having completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,145 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

He spent the 2023 campaign serving as the QB2 in Miami behind Tua Tagovailoa, but after getting leaped on the depth chart by Skylar Thompson, he was cut loose at the end of the 2024 preseason. He ended up catching on with the Bills practice squad, where he’d spend the majority of the 2024 campaign.

White was among Buffalo’s final cuts at the end of this past preseason. He had a brief stop on the Bengals practice squad following Joe Burrow‘s injury, but he was cut loose a few weeks after signing.

Now, he’ll resurface in Carolina, where Young’s injury carries a recovery timeframe of two to four weeks. Andy Dalton will be the stopgap, and the Panthers will be counting on the veteran to carry the momentum from their active three-game winning streak. White will be an option to serve as the temporary QB2, although the Panthers are also rostering Hendon Hooker on their practice squad.

Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel: Personnel Changes Being Considered

October 20th, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Adam La Rose

The matter of potential coaching changes in Miami has been a talking point throughout the 2025 season. Questions about in-season firings will continue over the coming days after the team’s 31-6 loss against the Browns in Week 7.

For now, at least, Mike McDaniel remains in place as head coach. When speaking after Sunday’s “humbling” defeat, he said consideration will be given to personnel changes. It is unclear which positions could be affected by a shuffling of the depth chart, but this situation could be one to monitor closely.

“If you are negatively impacting the team routinely, I have no choice but to assess a different player,” McDaniel said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “I have to coach a lot better as well. We will find out who and what we’re made of… We will change our style of play if we have to. Everything is on the table.”

The comment about playing style is certainly notable, considering the criticism Miami has received during McDaniel’s tenure. The Dolphins have struggled to consistently find success against stronger opponents, and much of that has been attributed to the team’s approach on offense in particular. That unit has struggled in 2025, and the Dolphins sit 25th in the NFL with an average of just 20 points per game.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa‘s day came to an early end with the game out of reach on Sunday. His 24.1 passer rating was the lowest of his career, and it marked another poor outing in a season during which he has struggled with turnovers. Tagovailoa has thrown a league-leading 10 interceptions in 2025, and McDaniel said one or two of his three picks from Sunday were “preventable.”

Leading up to yesterday’s loss, Tagovailoa was the center of attention based on his public criticism of teammates from the previous week. The 27-year-old is already owed $54MM in guarantees for next season, so any parting of ways would not be feasible even if it were to be entertained by the Dolphins. Based on McDaniel’s comments, though, it will be interesting to see how the quarterback depth chart is handled moving forward.

On that note, rookie Quinn Ewers saw his first regular season action in the NFL on Sunday after taking over for Tagovailoa. The seventh-rounder overtook Zach Wilson for the QB2 role in Week 7, something McDaniel said was due to the outcome of practice in the preceding days and something which was specific to the opponent. As further alterations are considered in the near future, the backup quarterback position could soon see more changes along with many others.

Bengals Cut Brett Rypien, Mike White

October 7th, 2025 at 2:15pm CST by Connor Byrne

After adding Joe Flacco to their quarterback room on Tuesday, the Bengals are moving on from a couple of other signal-callers. The team has cut Brett Rypien (via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network) and Mike White. To take White’s place on their practice squad, the Bengals signed defensive tackle Howard Cross III.

With injured starter Joe Burrow out for the foreseeable future, the Bengals will go forth with Flacco and Jake Browning as their options under center. They also have Sean Clifford on their practice squad. Flacco, acquired from the division-rival Browns, could make his Bengals debut as early as this Sunday against the Packers.

The 29-year-old Rypien signed with the Bengals after the Vikings released him late in the summer. He saw regular-season action with the Broncos and Rams earlier in his career and has gone 98 for 168 for 950 yards, four touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 11 games.

White, who spent most of last year on Buffalo’s practice squad, became a Bengal in mid-September after failing to beat out Mitchell Trubisky for the Bills’ No. 2 QB job during the summer. The short-lived Jets starter and ex-Dolphins backup has completed 199 of 324 attempts with nine TDs and 13 picks in 15 contests.

Cross, an undrafted free agent from Notre Dame, made his lone NFL appearance in Cincinnati’s loss to Minnesota in Week 3. He played nine defensive snaps and made one tackle in that game. The Bengals waived him last week, but they’re reuniting just a few days later.

Bengals To Sign Mike White, Sean Clifford

September 16th, 2025 at 8:41am CST by Adam La Rose

In need of quarterback depth, the Bengals have moved quickly in finding a pair of additions. Mike White and Sean Clifford are heading to Cincinnati.

Both players have agreed to a deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. To no surprise, these will be practice squad arrangements in each case. White and Clifford’s addition come one day after it was confirmed Joe Burrow will require toe surgery. The Bengals will thus be without their starter for at least three months.

In the wake of that news, head coach Zac Taylor said the team would be active in seeking out a free agent signal-caller. Jake Browning is in position (once again) to fill in for an injured Burrow. Brett Rypien found himself on the Bengals’ practice squad for Week 2, but he is a candidate to be promoted to the active roster with Burrow sidelined. He, alongside White and Clifford, will now compete for the QB2 role.

White has made 15 appearances and seven starts in his career. His first ever start took place against the Bengals in 2021, and it was part of a four-year run within the AFC East. The former fifth-rounder was with the Jets for 2021 and ’22, and he followed that up with single campaigns in Miami and Buffalo. White was among the Bills’ roster cuts this summer, leaving him on the open market through the beginning of the campaign.

The 49ers hosted the 30-year-old last week in the wake of Brock Purdy‘s injury. No deal was worked out in that instance, but the opposite has proven to be true in the case of the Bengals. White and Clifford will be eligible for a gameday elevation as early as Week 3 (presuming neither of them are promoted to the active roster in the coming days).

Clifford, a Packers fifth-rounder in 2023, made a pair of appearances during his rookie season. He remained in place last year but did not see the field. This summer, the Penn State product was waived during roster cuts. Clifford went unclaimed and thus became a free agent in time for the start of the season. After not being linked to any suitors in September, he has now landed an opportunity with the Bengals.

Cincinnati sits at 2-0, but the loss of Burrow will deal a blow to the team’s chances of remaining among the AFC’s top contenders as the season progresses. Browning will play a key role in guiding the offense for the foreseeable future, but it will be interesting to see how the Bengals’ backup competition shakes out.

49ers Host QB Mike White; Brock Purdy Facing Multi-Week Absence?

September 12th, 2025 at 10:33am CST by Adam La Rose

SEPTEMBER 12: While Purdy is in danger of missing multiple games, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones writes he is not being moved to injured reserve. An IR stint would ensure at least a four-week absence, but by keeping him on their active roster the 49ers will be able to play him within that span if possible.

SEPTEMBER 11: Brock Purdy has not been officially ruled out for Week 2, but yesterday head coach Kyle Shanahan deemed it a “long shot” the 49ers would have their starting quarterback in place. That could remain the case beyond Sunday.

Shanahan noted Purdy could miss more than one contest while dealing with a form of turf toe along with a shoulder injury. Providing further details on that front, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports an absence between two and five weeks is expected in this case (video link). As a result, backup Mac Jones should be in place for San Francisco’s upcoming game against New Orleans as well as the team’s Week 3 matchup with Arizona.

Should the 49ers view Purdy as a candidate to miss further time, a move to injured reserve could receive consideration. A placement on IR would ensure at least a four-game absence, so it would certainly represent a notable step based on the evaluation of his injury. For now, attention will turn to the matter of swelling in Purdy’s toe and how it heals over the near future.

The 49ers will rely on Jones to lead an offense which is missing George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk for however long Purdy is sidelined. Especially if a multi-week absence is in store, adding quarterback depth would come as no surprise. With that in mind, the team hosted Mike White on a workout Tuesday, per the wire. Shanahan said (via Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero) San Francisco would prefer to add a new signal-caller, although situations at other positions on the roster could make that difficult.

White has 15 appearances and seven starts to his name in the regular season. That includes time with the Jets under then-offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur as well as one season with Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. Both of those staffers have worked for Shanahan with the 49ers, so White represents a familiar option in terms of the team’s scheme despite not playing in San Francisco to date.

The 30-year-old spent 2024 in Buffalo and made one appearance. White took part in a competition with Mitch Trubisky this offseason for the backup gig and he wound up on the losing side of that contest. As a result, the Bills moved on ahead of the deadline for roster cuts. White has remained a free agent into the start of the regular season, but that could change in the near future.

San Francisco has seventh-round rookie Kurtis Rourke on the reserve/NFI list, leaving him unavailable until at least Week 5 (although he is not expected to play this year while rehabbing offseason ACL surgery). Adrian Martinez is on the team’s practice squad as a depth option, but depending on Purdy’s recovery timeline White could be pursued as a more experienced QB2 candidate.

Adrian Martinez To Serve As 49ers’ Backup In Week 2; 49ers Exploring QB Options

September 11th, 2025 at 10:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

As the 49ers prepare for at least one game – but quite possibly more – without Brock Purdy available, their quarterback setup will be worth watching closely. Mac Jones is set to handle starting duties, and an internal option will be relied on to back him up.

San Francisco hosted Mike White this week knowing depth will be needed in the wake of Purdy’s turf toe injury. That ailment has produced a reported recovery timeline of two to five weeks, so Jones will likely be needed beyond Sunday’s game against the Saints. White is not being signed as a backup at this time, however. Instead, Adrian Martinez is set to handle QB2 duties for at least Week 2.

“While Mike has been in our system in the past, Adrian’s been here the last few weeks and he has a good understanding of what we do and how we do it,” general manager John Lynch said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle) when discussing the team’s short-term quarterback plans.

White has spent time with ex-49ers staffers Mike LaFleur (Jets) and Mike McDaniel (Dolphins), making him a familiar target in terms of head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s scheme. In spite of that, Martinez will get the first chance at serving as the team’s backup. The 2023 UDFA has not yet made a regular season appearance, and this summer he was unable to carve out the third-string role with the Jets. That resulted in Martinez being waived shortly before final roster cuts.

The 2024 UFL MVP was signed to the Seahawks’ practice squad shortly thereafter, but he then joined the 49ers’ taxi squad. Martinez is therefore in position to be promoted to the active roster over the coming days; failing that, he will be one of San Francisco’s gameday elevations for Week 2. In the meantime, the 49ers will continue to explore the market for additions amongst available passers.

“We’ll continue to put ourselves in the best possible situation looking at various opportunities for people,” Lynch added. “But right now, that’s where we’re at.”

Bills To Release QB Mike White

August 25th, 2025 at 6:39pm CST by Ben Levine

After spending the past year in the Bills organization, Mike White will look to continue his career elsewhere. The Bills are set to release the veteran quarterback, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

White was cut by the Dolphins at the end of the 2024 preseason and quickly caught on with Buffalo’s practice squad. He was intended to provide some extra insurance behind injured QB2 Mitchell Trubisky, and White ended up only seeing the field for a single game with the Bills. In that Week 17 cameo, White completed 3 of his 11 pass attempts for 28 yards.

After a brief stint on the Cowboys to begin his career, the former fifth-round pick has spent the rest of his career in the AFC East. He started seven of his eight appearances for the Jets between 2021 and 2022, completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,145 yards, eight touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The Jets went 2-5 in those seven starts.

As the Jets revamped their depth chart ahead of the 2023 campaign, White wasn’t in the team’s plans, leading to him joining the Dolphins on a two-year deal. He spent that season as Tua Tagovailoa‘s primary backup, with White tossing a touchdown and an interception in six games. After being passed on the depth chart by Skylar Thompson last preseason, White was cut.

Trubisky will now continue as Josh Allen‘s primary backup in Buffalo for the 2025 campaign. The Bills are also waiving former UDFA Shane Buechele, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, leaving the organization with only two QBs at the moment.

Curtis Samuel On Bills’ Roster Bubble; Mitch Trubisky Leading QB2 Battle

August 21st, 2025 at 10:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

A host of experienced players accompany Keon Coleman in the Bills’ wide receiver room. Joshua Palmer is a roster lock, and Elijah Moore — who has seen plenty of work in place of an injured Khalil Shakir this month — has been viewed as fairly safe. One other veteran does not appear to be on steady ground.

Once Shakir recovers from the high ankle sprain he suffered earlier this month, the recently extended receiver will reprise his role as Buffalo’s top slot option. Coleman and Palmer will join him as regulars, leaving questions about how the Bills round out their room. One player needing to make a late push appears to be Curtis Samuel, who has two seasons remaining on a three-year, $24MM deal. Further complicating the situation: Samuel’s 2025 base salary ($6.91MM) is guaranteed.

But the Bills are not certain to keep the former second-round pick, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes. Samuel battled back from a hamstring injury to log a full practice for the first time this week, per Buscaglia, who adds the eighth-year veteran’s lack of involvement on special teams complicates his path to a second Bills roster.

Buffalo has Laviska Shenault in place as a return option, with third-year UDFA Tyrell Shavers and low-cost free agency addition Kristian Wilkerson also in the mix for back-end roster spots. Shavers (three career games played) is among those who impressed in Samuel’s absence, Buscaglia adds.

Samuel, 29, did not impress much in his first Bills season; he caught 31 passes for 253 yards and one touchdown before adding two more TDs in the playoffs. Ex-Panthers old enough to have been in Charlotte under Brandon Beane and/or Sean McDermott have been popular commodities in Buffalo, as the Shaq Thompson addition reinforces, but Samuel’s guarantee is not locking him into another Bills plan just yet (the Panthers drafted Samuel during Beane’s final draft with the team; Samuel also overlapped with OC Joe Brady in Carolina).

If Buffalo were to cut Samuel, a lofty dead money hit ($8.64MM) would await this year. Another $3MM-plus would be part of Buffalo’s 2026 payroll, per OverTheCap, due to the post-June 1 timing of a release. Samuel also looms as a potential trade candidate, Buscaglia adds.

Considering the ex-Panthers and Commanders slot weapon’s inconsistency, the Bills would undoubtedly need to pay some of his base salary to facilitate a swap. Teams are looking, however, as the Jets and Vikings — and perhaps still the 49ers, even after their Skyy Moore acquisition — are among those on the hunt at receiver.

Shifting to the battle to back up Josh Allen, Buscaglia notes Mitch Trubisky holds a lead on Mike White. Outplaying White in the joint practice with the Bears, Trubisky winning the job would merely mean holding off a player who spent last season on Buffalo’s practice squad. But the Bills did extend White via his reserve/futures deal, giving the ex-Jets starter a chance to vie for the QB2 gig.

Neither Trubisky nor White impressed much in the Bears’ 38-0 win over the Bills last week, and determining a backup has not been a Bills issue — due to an Allen games-played streak that stretches back to his rookie year — in a while. But the former No. 2 overall pick, who is heading into his age-31 season, may be moving closer to hanging onto the job he held in 2024 (and before that in 2021). Trubisky has a $1MM salary guarantee and is tied to a $3.25MM cap number; White is at just $1.2MM on Buffalo’s cap.

Bills To Hold QB2 Competition Between Mitchell Trubisky, Mike White

May 17th, 2025 at 10:14am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills have turned to Mitchell Trubisky as Josh Allen‘s backup in two nonconsecutive seasons, reacquiring the former No. 2 overall pick after he spent two years in Pittsburgh. Trubisky’s second Buffalo stint is set for a second season, but his grip on the team’s backup gig may not be as firm as what it was in 2024.

Mike White‘s move up from the practice squad in January came with a year added to his contract, carrying into 2025. The former Jets Zach Wilson replacement will be set to vie for the Allen backup role against Trubisky, according to The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia (subscription required).

A potential role reversal here would come in White’s second year with the organization, as the ex-Jets and Dolphins backup gained seasoning in Joe Brady‘s system by spending a full season in Buffalo. This is White’s first offseason in western New York, however.

The Bills added White to their practice squad shortly after the Dolphins jettisoned him last August. Although Miami had signed White to a two-year, $8MM deal, Skylar Thompson beat him out for the team’s QB2 post during training camp last year. The Dolphins grew to regret that Thompson decision and have since changed up again — by adding Wilson — this offseason.

Now 30, White raised his profile by posing an unexpected threat to Wilson in New York. As the Jets erred by not adding a bridge-level backup for the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, White showed himself to be more effective running Mike LaFleur‘s offense that year. The QB’s 405-yard passing performance in an upset win over the eventual AFC champion Bengals made him a popular presence in New York, and even though the ex-Cowboys draftee crashed back to earth in the weeks that followed, he eventually replaced Wilson as the BYU product fizzled by 2022. The Jets did not deem it a priority to have a veteran presence behind Aaron Rodgers in 2023, however, and White moved on.

Trubisky, 30, has been Allen’s backup in 2021 and ’24. He served as Kenny Pickett‘s bridge for the Steelers in 2023 and did not impress as an injury replacement in 2024. The Steelers, who had seen Mason Rudolph prove a better option late in the ’23 season, released Trubisky after having previously extended him. Trubisky entered the 2022 and ’23 seasons ahead of Rudolph on Pittsburgh’s depth chart, and after signing a two-year deal worth $5.25MM to return to Buffalo, the ex-Bears bust still likely will enter Bills training camp in front of White.

Though, it appears White is a bigger threat to Trubisky’s job now compared to 2024, per Buscaglia. A potential change would mostly need to emerge from practice work, as Trubisky only saw relevant game action in Week 18 last season. He went 15 of 21 for 101 yards and one touchdown in a loss to a Patriots team sitting Drake Maye last season.

Allen has not missed a start since his 2018 rookie season. While elbow and hand maladies have come up since, Allen has proven one of the NFL’s safest bets. Though, the superstar’s bruising style and high run-game usage rate does leave him vulnerable annually.

With Allen’s durability pointing to the Bills only carrying one active-roster backup, only one non-practice squad salary appears available for the two QB2 hopefuls. Both Trubisky or White could reach the practice squad without clearing waivers. This would be new territory for Trubisky, however, and the Bills would take a $1.75MM hit were they to cut the more seasoned QB. (No dead money would come from a White release.) That said, seeing if White can usurp the former top prospect will be a storyline to monitor in Buffalo this offseason.

Dolphins To Prioritize Backup QB Job

January 8th, 2025 at 12:02pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Despite Tua Tagovailoa‘s history of concussions, the Dolphins did not upgrade at backup quarterback in 2024, sticking with Skylar Thompson and releasing Mike White before the start of the regular season.

Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said on Tuesday that the team was pursuing “a couple of top-flight backup QBs,” during last offseason, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, but couldn’t finalize any signings due to salary cap constraints. Instead, they had Thompson and White compete for the backup job in training camp.

White lost and joined the Bills’ practice squad, forcing the Dolphins to scramble in Week 2 when Tagovailoa went down. They signed Tyler Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad and Tim Boyle off the street, though neither represented a serious improvement over Thompson.

Grier is determined to have more success finding a new backup after Huntley, Boyle, and Thompson went 2-4 as starters this season. The three combined for a 78.67 passer rating across their appearances, which would rank third-worst among qualified quarterbacks.

The annual quarterback carousel will give Grier plenty of options this offseason, though the Dolphins remain strapped for cap space. They’re already in the red for 2025 with just 37 players under contract, per OverTheCap. The usual array of cuts and restructures can free up some money, but Miami will still need to fill and upgrade their roster if they want to make the playoffs in 2025. Grier will have to balance his desire to shore up his quarterback room with his need to improve other areas of the team.

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