Dolphins QB Tyler Huntley leaves game with shoulder injury

INDIANAPOLIS — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tyler Huntley left Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts with an injury to his right shoulder and did not return.

Huntley was hit as he threw an incomplete pass midway through the third quarter and was walked back to the Dolphins’ locker room by a member of the team’s medical staff. Backup quarterback Tim Boyle, who was signed to Miami’s active roster Saturday, entered in his place.

Boyle finished the game 8 of 13 passes for 74 yards. Before his injury, Huntley completed 7 of 13 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown to tight end Jonnu Smith — his first passing touchdown of the season.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Huntley attempted to play through the injury but was unable to return to the game after being examined by the team’s medical staff. He did not have an update on Huntley’s status after the game.

Sunday marked Huntley’s third start of the season as the Dolphins’ instability at the quarterback position has muted the NFL’s top offense from a season ago. Starter Tua Tagovailoa, who signed a four-year, $212.1 million contract this offseason, has spent the past four games on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in Week 2.

Third-year quarterback Skylar Thompson initially started in place of Tagovailoa but was knocked out of Miami’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 with a rib injury and has not played since. Thompson is the team’s emergency quarterback for Sunday’s game and will be eligible to play if Boyle is ruled out.

Tagovailoa is eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 8, and sources told ESPN that he is expected to practice this week with the hope of playing Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. McDaniel declined to comment on Tagovailoa’s status but said he will address the situation Monday.

“Obviously, that’d be huge for us,” Smith said. “With that being said, one man can’t win a game football game, so it’s going to take all of us, coaches included … It’s going to take everybody in this organization for us to go out and win a game and that’s why we work together.”

Miami should benefit from the stability Tagovailoa’s return would bring to its offense. Without him, wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who represent the highest-paid receiver tandem in the NFL, have combined for just 259 receiving yards in four games. The duo was targeted four times during Sunday’s loss, resulting in two total catches for 19 yards.