Dan Marino shares thoughts on Dolphins QB situation, plus new TE signed
Dan Marino knows a little something, something about what makes great quarterback play.
So when he speaks about the position, it’s wise that everyone listens.
Marino recently appeared on the “Mad Dog Sports Radio” where he shared his thoughts about not only the Miami Dolphins’ current quarterback quandary but also Tua Tagovailoa.
As far as what the future holds for Dolphins, Marino endorsed the “competition” narrative that both coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan have promulgated.
“You have to have competition at that position and that’s where the Dolphins have to go,” Marino said, later adding that “when you have competition at that position, it’s going to continue to make it better and better.”
Marino’s thoughts on Tagovailoa, however, were particularly eye-opening.
“He was excellent,” Marino said. “He really was excellent. He’s an excellent guy, human being, and he’s still on the roster so you just don’t know right now. The new staff is coming in, and they have to evaluate everything all at once.”
Marino also didn’t rule out Tagovailoa’s potential presence as QB1 in 2026.
“I’m not in that position to say it’s going to be free agency, or it’s going to be the guys that we have or whatever that may be,” Marino said, later adding that “as time goes on, this will all play itself out. Tua is with us, he’s one of our quarterbacks and that’s the way that it’s going to be.”
As Barry Jackson recently reported, the Dolphins would likely prefer to trade the former franchisee quarterback. The other option to get him off the roster, however, wouldn’t be much better: cut him after June 1st and take the $99.2 million cap hit over the next two years.
Dolphins sign tight end to futures contract
Freak.
That has consistently been the word used to describe Zack Kuntz. And it makes sense: at 6-foot-8-inches and 251 pounds, he should not be able to move as well as he does.
While Kuntz only has 13 snaps at the NFL level, the Dolphins signed the tight end to a futures contract with the hope that he could maybe blossom into something worthwhile.
The traits, however, are there. Consider how Bruce Feldman described Kuntz on his 2022 iteration of his annual “College football Freaks List.”
“Kuntz is an eye-popping blend of great size and athleticism,” Feldman wrote. “This offseason he clocked a 4.57 40 to go with his 40-inch vertical and 10-8 broad jump. His explosiveness is also reflected in a 365-pound clean.”
After three years at Penn State, Kuntz transferred to Old Dominion ahead of the 2021 season. He initially posted an impressive 73-catch, 692-yard junior season at Old Dominion before a dislocated kneecap limited him to just five games as a senior. Kuntz would follow that up with an impressive NFL Combine performance as his 40-inch vertical, 6.87 seconds three-cone and 23 bench press reps all ranked first among tight ends.
The New York Jets selected Kuntz in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft and after two years, he failed to make 53-man roster in 2025.
Every single Dolphins tight end that caught a pass this past season – Darren Waller, Greg Dulcich and Julian Hill – will be a free agent come March 11. Kuntz’s only competition in the tight end room will be Cole Turner, who signed his futures contract immediately after the Dolphins’ season came to a close.
