The Dolphins need a backup QB. Here’s why the draft might not be the best place to look
Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier to address the backup quarterback position.
“That’s a position we will always focus on, and it will be a position that we will focus on this offseason,” Grier said. “I will tell you that every stone will be unturned at that position including the draft.”
It makes sense considering franchise quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has a bit of an injury history. In his five-year career, Tagovailoa has only finished a full season once (2023) and most recently, missed six games in 2024. Here’s the thing: addressing the issue through the draft might not be the best decision. Although the team is completely committed to Tagovailoa, drafting another quarterback not only doesn’t give you the calming, stability that backups should bring into the game, it also creates a bit of instability within organization.
Take what the Philadelphia Eagles did a few years back with Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts, for example. The following line from Tim McManus’ ESPN story showcased the issue with drafting a young quarterback after already investing in another one.
“What they miscalculated was how those qualities would alter the internal dynamics,” McManus wrote in 2022. “They knew Hurts had a gravitational pull but didn’t realize how close the situation with Wentz was to flying off its axis.”
Keep in mind: the Eagles drafted Hurts in 2020, one year after Wentz signed a four year deal worth $128 million. And while the Hurts pick eventually worked out for the Eagles as they would trade Wentz less than a year after drafting their current franchise quarterback, the tension it caused should not be ignored. Just ask Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert.
“I don’t think it was ever too bad between those two,” Goedert told McManus. “I think it got more awkward between the upstairs, the head coach at the time and Carson more than Carson and Jalen. Carson came into work every day. Getting benched is never easy. But when he came in here after that, Carson was trying to help Jalen, doing everything that he could from the position he was in.”
The bottom line: young quarterbacks rarely have the trust and steadiness that the position requires. Sure, Hurts migh have had a bit of it yet he should be considered an anomaly. Instead, the Dolphins need to find somebody who “his teammates believe in,” according to coach Mike McDaniel.
“Being a backup quarterback is one of the more difficult tasks that exist in football,” McDaniel said Dec. 27, later explaining that the position requires “guys that are self-motivated to stay prepared without losing the edge.”
Added McDaniel: “The second you go in, [teammates] believe that you won’t miss a beat. And you’ve got to earn that trust, and you’ve got to earn that conviction and that’s something that you can’t fake.”
That means the Dolphins will have to go the free agent route. The options, however, aren’t all that great: Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones, Mac Jones, Jameis Winston, Justin Fields, Marcus Mariota, Mason Rudolph, Andy Dalton and Jacoby Brissett.
At least two of the players (Darnold and Wilson), however, likely view themselves as starters. Among the rest, the most viable candidates are Fields, Mariota and Winston.
The Steelers could keep Fields. That means the Dolphins’ options come down to two Heisman Trophy winners in Mariota and Winston, both of whom have posted .500 records since coming into the league in 2015.
Mariota has been an admirable mentor for young Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels though he hasn’t played meaningful football since 2022 when the then-29-year-old led the Atlanta Falcons to a 5-8 record. Over his career, Mariota has completed 63% of his passes for 16,184 yards and 97 touchdowns. He has also thrown 55 interceptions. Winston, however, posted a 2-5 record as the Cleveland Browns started, throwing 13 touchdowns but also 12 interceptions.
The backup quarterback position was put under a microscope during the Dolphins’ 2024 season as Tagovailoa missed roughly 35% of the season due to a concussion and then a hip injury. Miami then went through a carousel of quarterbacks — Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle and Tyler Huntley — before the franchise finally settled on the later. Unfortunately, Thompson signed with the Steelers on Tuesday and Huntley is currently a free agent. Meanwhile, Boyle signed with the New York Giants’ practice squad.
This story was originally published January 15, 2025 at 5:08 PM.
