Idea Dolphins replace Tua Tagovailoa with No. 3 pick hasn’t existed. So he’s Miami’s QB
Every NFL team thirsting for a franchise quarterback is expected in Utah on Friday morning to watch Zach Wilson work out during the Brigham Young University Pro Day.
The New York Jets will be there. They currently hold the No. 2 overall selection in April’s draft and some analysts rate Wilson the second-best quarterback available, behind only Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence.
So this is going to be a watershed moment for BYU, which is expecting a house packed with NFL big names to watch Wilson and 19 other athletes work out.
It will also be a watershed moment for Jets general manager Joe Douglas, who must decide whether to pick Wilson No. 2, or go with Justin Fields, or some other QB, or not pick a quarterback altogether and bank on Sam Darnold instead.
Yeah, big decision.
You know where Dolphins general manager Chris Grier will be Friday?
Neither do I.
We’ve run into each other on flights in the past but it baffles me that he doesn’t text me his travel itinerary.
Last year, I knew he was making the rounds to see all the quarterbacks -- although he didn’t get to Justin Herbert’s workout in Oregon for a number of reasons.
This year? Well, let’s just say he didn’t go to Clemson’s Pro Day March 11 to evaluate Trevor Lawrence. Grier and everyone knows he’s not getting Lawrence.
Fact is Grier might as likely be headed to the University of Michigan’s Pro Day on Friday than Brigham Young’s. The Wolverines didn’t have as good a team as BYU last year which suggests they didn’t have as many good players.
But the Wolverines might have players the Dolphins are more interested in getting a personal look at, such as defensive end Kwity Paye, wide receiver Nico Collins, running back Ambry Thomas, and maybe cornerback Nick Eubanks.
And I remind everyone Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is a big Michigan man -- so big the guy’s cell phone has The Victors as its ring tone, last I heard it go off.
So, just maybe, it might be quite tempting for Grier to bypass the trip to Provo and head to Ann Arbor instead. Or if he does make the flight to Utah, he might just be more interested in later round picks such as defensive tackle Kyiris Tonga or receiver Dax Milne.
The greater point here (aren’t you thrilled I finally got to it?) is the Dolphins are not exactly beating bushes for a quarterback this year to select at No. 3 overall. At least that’s the consensus in the scouting community.
The common thinking from those collecting such hints is the Dolphins at this stage are as likely to trade down with a team wanting the No. 3 selection in order to get a quarterback.
(The Dolphins might also stick right where they are and pick LSU wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase or Florida tight end Kyle Pitts).
The Dolphins, you see, drafted Tua Tagovailoa No. 5 overall in 2020 and are committed to him as their starter for 2021.
They’ve said as much.
They’ve told Tagovailoa as much.
One must assume that will be the case.
And now you’re wondering, well, why has there been all this talk about replacing Tagovailoa this offseason? Why was Tagovailoa himself not able to answer definitively the first few times he was asked if he was coming back as Miami’s quarterback in 2021?
There’s just one reason for that: The possibility of a Deshaun Watson trade.
Period.
Nothing else.
I hope everyone can get this. Because somehow, the talk of the Dolphins replacing Tagovailoa by trading for Watson has insufferably bled into ... “the talk of the Dolphins replacing Tagovailoa in the draft.”
No one I know has suggested that.
No local pundit I read has said draft someone No. 3 to replace Tagovailoa.
And yet, somehow the national media has courageously come to Tagovailoa’s defense against the idea the Dolphins could draft his replacement this year -- which, repeating again, no one has suggested.
This week alone, Dan Orlovsky on ESPN and Daniel Jeremiah on NFL Network vigorously defended against the chorus that suggests the Dolphins draft a Tagovailoa replacement.
Gentlemen, respect both you and your work immensely, but no such chorus exists in South Florida.
Or anywhere, really.
You’re arguing on Tagovailoa’s behalf against ... nobody.
The Dolphins probably discussed the scenario in their draft meetings as part of their due diligence. But, again, the only reason the idea of Tagovailoa being replaced has been a thing -- aside from the fact he struggled at the end of his rookie season -- is because of Watson.
Because Watson is better.
Because most people understood having Watson would be an upgrade.
The Dolphins certainly understood that.
And now that Watson is embroiled in 16 lawsuits claiming various forms and levels of sexual harassment and misconduct, and the Houston police is investigating, and the NFL is investigating, that possibility -- however improbable before -- seems remote now.
So here we are:
With a Deshaun Watson trade currently out of the question. With the Dolphins likely not picking a quarterback with the No. 3 overall selection.
And with Tua Tagovailoa as Miami’s starting quarterback.
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 7:44 PM.
