Surveying upside of other QB options
Many fans (and media members) feel like they’ve seen enough of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, that there’s no more upside and that it’s time for the Miami Dolphins to move on.
Even after blowing a 10-point fourthquarter lead in Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Dolphins are still in the hunt for an AFC wild-card berth. If the Dolphins do decide that they are ready for a divorce from Tannehill, who owns a 40-43 record and 87.0 career passer rating, no matter what he does in Miami’s final five regular-season games this year then there’s no better time than now to start exploring your options.
Here’s a look at the quarterback landscape in 2019:
Derek Carr: Carr, who has produced a 92.4 passer rating this season, has struggled with injuries the past two years and has been plagued with inconsistent play this season. But two years ago, the 27-year old was viewed as the next young stud. Miami would likely need to offer up at least one first-round pick to Oakland for them to consider trading Carr, who is owed $20 million in 2019.
Nick Foles: Foles is a career journeyman with an 87.0 pass rating that became a Super Bowl MVP last season after leading the Eagles to a win over the New England Patriots after starter Carson Wentz injured his knee toward the end of the regular season. Foles is a decent NFL starter but needs the readoption offense to thrive. The extension he signed in the offseason will pay him $20 million if the Eagles don’t waive him by Feb. 13. However, they might be willing to facilitate a trade.
Teddy Bridgewater: Bridgewater hasn’t started an NFL game since the 2015 season, and owns a 17-12 record as a starter from his tenure in Minnesota. His connection to Miami as a former
high school standout could make his homecoming more than just a job for the 26 year old, who is making $6 million this season as Drew Brees’ backup in New Orleans.
Tyrod Taylor: Taylor led Buffalo to the playoffs in 2017, but struggled in Cleveland (64.5 passer rating in four games this season) before losing his starting job to rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield. Taylor turns 30 next year so there isn’t much hope of him being anything but a bridge quarterback.
Eli Manning: Manning has two championships on his resume, but his play has faded in recent years (6-20 in the last two seasons). The Giants possess a topfive receiver and tailback and still struggle offensively despite Manning’s 96.2 passer rating. New York seems ready to move on from the 37 year old, who is owed $17 million in 2019, the final year of his contract.
Joe Flacco: Flacco, who has missed the past two games because of a hip injury, seems to be falling apart physically. Anyone expecting the 33-year old to have a resurgent season next year is being unrealistic. Flacco’s only had one coach and at this point it’s unreasonable to expect him to excel in a new scheme based on how he’s been playing (84.2 passer rating) the past few years. He’s owed $18.5 million in 2019.
Sam Bradford: No quarterback has earned more money for doing less than Bradford, who owns a 84.5 passer rating the past nine seasons. The 31-year old has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, which has produced a 34-48-1 record as a starter.
Jameis Winston: Winston has run out of excuses for why the former Florida State standout has never blossomed in Tampa Bay. His play has been inconsistent, and his decision making — on and off the field — has been suspect. The Buccaneers opted into the fifth-year option of his contract, which guarantees him $20.9 million in 2019 if he’s on the roster on March 13. It’s likely he’ll be traded or waived, but that depends on who is running Tampa Bay’s franchise in 2019.
Blake Bortles: Bortles led the Jaguars to a 3-8 record this season before getting benched this week. He owns a 24-48 record, and a career 80.9 passer rating as Jacksonville’s starter since 2014. He’ll likely become available via trade (he’s due $16 million in 2019) or as a free agent if he’s released.
Ryan Fitzpatrick: The 36-year-old journeyman owns a 100.4 passer rating, and led the Buccaneers to a 2-5 record this season in the games he started in place of Jameis Winston. He makes $3.3 million this season, so at least he won’t be an expensive option.
Joshua Dobbs: Dobbs’ athleticism and intelligence makes him an intriguing prospect for a team looking to promote a young quarterback that has been developing behind a good veteran. Miami would need to trade a late-round pick with Pittsburgh to acquire Dobbs, who produced a 112.0 passer rating in the preseason.
Rookie QB taken in first round: The Dolphins will likely be drafting in the teens, which means they would need to trade players and/or draft picks to position themselves high enough to select Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Missouri’s Drew Lock because Tampa Bay and Jacksonville will likely be shopping for a new quarterback.
Rookie QB taken in later rounds: Just about every year there is a Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo available in the later rounds of the draft. But it takes luck, and good scouting to find and develop a sleeper like West Virginia’s Will Grier, Duke’s Daniel Jones or Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, who will all be viewed as top-100 prospects, into a reliable starter.