The Maimi Dolphins officially issued an end to the Ryan Tannehill Era on Friday, trading the seven-year NFL veteran to the Tennessee Titans. This move obviously leaves Miami looking for a new quarterback all over again, and it’s safe to assume the long-term answer isn’t currently on the roster. As of this posting, Miami’s quarterback depth chart is comprised of Luke Falk and Jake Rudock. Fortunately, Maimi still has plenty of time to find a bridge quarterback while searching for the long-awaited heir to Dan Marino.
Top Miami Dolphins Quarterback Options
NFL Veterans
Josh Rosen
This only applies if the Arizona Cardinals select Kyler Murray with the first overall pick. Josh Rosen was a top-10 selection just one season ago but struggled throughout his rookie season. Starting 13 games, Rosen completed just 55.2% of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. The numbers were bad, but it’s hard to blame Rosen for everything. Arizona had no offensive line, bad coaching, and no receivers outside of Larry Fitzgerald.
Kyler Murray fits new Cardinals’ head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense to a tee, so Rosen could be available at the right price. As of this posting, the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins are most likely to acquire Rosen. New York has better draft stock than Miami, but the Dolphins have better draft stock than Washington. If New York doesn’t want Rosen, then the Dolphins should be the frontrunners in any trade proposals.
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Longtime journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is easily the best passer left on the open market. Teddy Bridgewater was clearly Maimi’s first choice for the job, but the former first-round pick opted to return to the New Orleans Saints on a one-year deal. With guys like Tyrod Taylor and Nick Foles already signed, Fitzpatrick remains the only starting-caliber quarterback available on the market.
Fitzpatrick is far from ideal, but he’s shown the ability to be a competent bridge quarterback. Last season, Fitzpatrick completed 66.7% of his passes for 2,366 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. First-year head coach Brian Flores is familiar with Fitzpatrick from his days with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. Fitzpatrick isn’t a long-term answer under center, but he can adequately hold down the starting spot until the quarterback of the future is ready for the field.
Jacoby Brissett
The Miami Dolphins are slowly morphing into the New England Patriots castaways, and nothing would be more fitting than trading for former Patriots’ backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Brissett isn’t a worldbeater by any means, but he’s shown an ability to be a smart, competent quarterback. The former third-round pick started 15 games in 2017, completing 58.8% of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He did all this despite arriving in Indianapolis just one week prior to the start of that season and dealing with some of the worst playcalling in the league.
The biggest thing stopping this trade is the compensation it would take to get Brissett. Indianapolis has openly stated on multiple occasions that it would take a massive trade package to acquire Brissett’s’ services. Andrew Luck has a long injury history, and the Colts know how important it is to have a good backup quarterback. With the Dolphins seemingly intent on building towards the future, the only way a Brissett trade makes sense is if the coaching staff truly believes Brissett has what it takes to be a franchise quarterback.
In the NFL Draft
The Top Tier
Unless the Dolphins get Rosen, it’s more-than-likely that they’ll select a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft. Unfortunately for Miami, this is one of the weaker quarterback drafts in recent memory. When it comes to top quarterbacks, it’s clear that Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins are in a tier of their own. The chances of Miami getting Murray are astronomical, as he’ll probably be selected with the first overall pick. Even if he’s not, there’s no way he gets past the Oakland Raiders at four.
If the Dolphins are going to get one of the top quarterbacks, it’ll have to be Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins. Haskins is a pocket passer who wins on smart decisions, similar to what Tom Brady does in New England. This is in no way saying that Haskins will be anywhere near as good as the six-time Super Bowl champion, but Miami’s Patriot-heavy coaching staff probably has a preference for Haskins’ style of play. Haskins shouldn’t make it past the New York Giants at six, so the Dolphins would probably need to trade up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to get him. Moving that far up won’t be cheap, but no price is too steep to acquire a franchise quarterback.
The Next-Best
However, there’s a very real chance that Miami doesn’t think it’s worth the price to acquire Haskins. If that’s the case, they’ll likely be stuck choosing between Duke’s Daniel Jones and Missouri’s Drew Lock. Daniel Jones is basically Ryan Tannehill all over again whereas Drew Lock is more like an early-career Joe Flacco. Both players could develop into serviceable starters if surrounded by the right team, but they’ll never be superstar passers. Miami might try to shoot higher than this and hope to find their franchise quarterback in 2020.
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