Fitzpatrick is a great stopgap, but what are the Phins longterm plan at QB?
Barring a miracle, drafting Joe Burrow isn’t on the table for the Miami Dolphins. Of course, if the Phins absolutely love Burrow and give up a ton of valuable draft assets, maybe the Bengals will give up the pick?
Even if the Bengals did trade away their top pick, the Dolphins have holes all over, so giving away draft picks isn’t the best long-term strategy.
Expect the Phins to look elsewhere for their future quarterback.
Let’s take a look at the options we are hearing about at quarterback for the Dolphins.
While Burrow appears a slam dunk, the rest of the QB class are question marks. Many ‘experts’ have Tua and Herbert as the next two best QB prospects available. Many mock drafts have Miami selecting Tua with their top first-round pick.
No one knows exactly who will declare for the draft, stay in school, or even be able to play football again. So any predictions at this point should be taken with a heavy grain of salt.
Also, after Tua’s latest injury there is no question that has the ‘injury-prone’ label. Whether he is actually any more likely to get an injury in the future or not, who knows. But, the fact is Tua has had a series of serious injuries while playing on a great team with an excellent O-line. And don’t forget he isn’t the biggest guy around at 6’0” tall.
Can Tua stay healthy at the next level… even IF he recovers from his latest hip injury?
For me, Tua has too many ‘ifs’ surrounding him to be a top 5 pick. Maybe later in the first round, if he’s still available. Before we even get into ‘should or should not’ let us see how he heals up.
As for Herbert, his main problem is consistency. Add to this, there are questions about his ability to be a leader of men. Some scouts feel he isn’t a vocal leader and doesn’t have that franchise QB type of presence of a franchise QB.
Herbert isn’t a selection I’d be happy about.
What about the rest of the 2020 prospects?
Jake Fromm, Jacob Eason, Jamie Newman, Kellen Mond, Jordan Love, K.J. Costello, Jalen Hurts and any other QB that will be declaring for the upcoming draft could be options for Miami. How will any of these players translate to NFL? The Dolphins scouts haven’t had a hit on a QB since Dan Marino.
The media is also tossing out the names of Cam Newton or Tom Brady in Free Agency.
It will be interesting to see if Brady actually does hit the open market. Miami surely has the money to afford either of these guys. Brady would be the more logical fit for Miami since the staff has ties with him and he knows the scheme. If Brady leaves the Pats, he’d love to prove the naysayers wrong. What better revenge than going to Miami and sticking it to Coach Belichick and the Pats twice a year?
Even though Brady is nearing the end of his career, I definitely wouldn’t bet against him having once last chance at glory in aqua and orange. But, I highly doubt this happens. If Brady leaves the Pats and continues to play, it will be for a far more talented team.
Newton would also be an interesting choice because he is still only 30 years old. As long as Newton fully recovers from his latest injury, he’s still a franchise-caliber QB. A healthy Newton with a full draft of acquiring young talent around him could be the right recipe for a playoff team. But, Miami would have to trade for him. And that’s a problem.
Miami will spend a pick on a young QB this year or next
I expect Miami to hold onto Fitzpatrick for another year, take a flier on some of backend names mentioned above, and let them and Rosen be groomed by Fitz. The list of options is long, but it’s going to take luck and solid scouting to find the right player. It will be very interesting to see how all this all unfolds. Just maybe after the dust settles, Miami will finally have found their franchise QB of the future?
On a side note, notice how much better Tannehill is playing with the Titans! Tannehill has 3 things that he never had in Miami, 1. One of the better O-Lines in the NFL. 2. Freight-Train running back in Derek Henry. 3. Pretty good coaching in Vrabel. A change of location was just what the doctor ordered for him. Glad to see he is doing well. This just puts further emphasis on just how bad our FO, Coaching, etc. have been over the past 20 years.
Ohh yeah, he is playing to his strengths and the talent and scheme hide his weaknesses. This is what Miami should have done… they just couldn’t or wouldn’t fix the Oline. We have sucked. Poor plan and vision. I have always said Thill could do well. Thought he could hover around that 8-14 spot in the right situation. Sad, but glad for him. His cousin read this site and when he was traded we chatted. I told him he’ll do well there and he agreed…
WJ, what are the chances that the team trades Rosen? I heard that the team has seen all they need to and he is not our franchise QB. Rosen was too slow in picking up the offense. If we trade him, we won’t get a 2nd rounder in return, but maybe a 3rd or 4th? I said in training camp that if Rosen could not beat out Fitzpatrick for the starting job, he would not be our franchise QB. I understand that he is young, and has had to learn 3 different offenses in 3 years. The Patriots offense is complex, so I guess I need to give him a break. He has the NFL arm, but needs further development. Perhaps I am being too harsh and he just needs some time? Finally, I agree that Tua is too fragile a chance for me either this year or next! I do think with one of later 1st round picks we could take a chance on Herbert or Frohm, even Hurst. What are your thoughts?
I don’t think Rosen is done in Miami. Flores’ last talk with the media has me changing my mind. I get the same feeling like the tank talk. I lost faith in Flores word on the tank talk… I won’t on this one. Rosen has been in 5 offenses in the last 3 years (1 college, 3 with Card, and one with Phins)… I think they are trying to bring him along. My biggest issue is can he be a leader of men? Not saying he’ll get the spot as I think they will bring in another young arm. I think Hurts or Tua if they fall. Watched Hurts all day a few days ago. He reminds me of Brissett. Better mobility and shorter and less of an arm. Still, I think if he falls to the 3rd they take him… maybe late 2nd. I’m no expert on college QBs, so this is just what my gut is saying, Stephen. Herbert and Fromm, I don’t like much. Maybe Fromm if they can fix his arm strength like Rodgers and Brady did when they came to the NFL. He is a good leader from what is said and he has some magic. Don’t like Herbert at all… but if they can fix his accuracy and coach up his reads… maybe. If so hard to tell…
On a side note, notice how much better Tannehill is playing with the Titans! Tannehill has 3 things that he never had in Miami, 1. One of the better O-Lines in the NFL. 2. Freight-Train running back in Derek Henry. 3. Pretty good coaching in Vrabel. A change of location was just what the doctor ordered for him. Glad to see he is doing well. This just puts further emphasis on just how bad our FO, Coaching, etc. have been over the past 20 years.
Ohh yeah, he is playing to his strengths and the talent and scheme hide his weaknesses. This is what Miami should have done… they just couldn’t or wouldn’t fix the Oline. We have sucked. Poor plan and vision. I have always said Thill could do well. Thought he could hover around that 8-14 spot in the right situation. Sad, but glad for him. His cousin read this site and when he was traded we chatted. I told him he’ll do well there and he agreed…
WJ, what are the chances that the team trades Rosen? I heard that the team has seen all they need to and he is not our franchise QB. Rosen was too slow in picking up the offense. If we trade him, we won’t get a 2nd rounder in return, but maybe a 3rd or 4th? I said in training camp that if Rosen could not beat out Fitzpatrick for the starting job, he would not be our franchise QB. I understand that he is young, and has had to learn 3 different offenses in 3 years. The Patriots offense is complex, so I guess I need to give him a break. He has the NFL arm, but needs further development. Perhaps I am being too harsh and he just needs some time? Finally, I agree that Tua is too fragile a chance for me either this year or next! I do think with one of later 1st round picks we could take a chance on Herbert or Frohm, even Hurst. What are your thoughts?
I don’t think Rosen is done in Miami. Flores’ last talk with the media has me changing my mind. I get the same feeling like the tank talk. I lost faith in Flores word on the tank talk… I won’t on this one. Rosen has been in 5 offenses in the last 3 years (1 college, 3 with Card, and one with Phins)… I think they are trying to bring him along. My biggest issue is can he be a leader of men? Not saying he’ll get the spot as I think they will bring in another young arm. I think Hurts or Tua if they fall. Watched Hurts all day a few days ago. He reminds me of Brissett. Better mobility and shorter and less of an arm. Still, I think if he falls to the 3rd they take him… maybe late 2nd. I’m no expert on college QBs, so this is just what my gut is saying, Stephen. Herbert and Fromm, I don’t like much. Maybe Fromm if they can fix his arm strength like Rodgers and Brady did when they came to the NFL. He is a good leader from what is said and he has some magic. Don’t like Herbert at all… but if they can fix his accuracy and coach up his reads… maybe. If so hard to tell…