The praise, the problem, and possibilities with Dolphins quarterbacks
A position-by-position series breaking down each of the Miami Dolphins’ units, assessing where the team stands heading into the 2025 offseason, and examining what could possibly be done through free agency and the NFL Draft.
QUARTERBACK
▪ The praise: In his first five seasons as an NFL starter Tua Tagovailoa has a 38-24 win-loss record (63%), has led the NFL in pass rating (2022), passing yards (2023), and completion percentage (2024). On the low end, Tagovailoa is this generation’s Chad Pennington. He’s accurate and efficient, and can lead a team to a winning season, and possibly the playoffs with very little help around him.
But there will be seasons where the team has to worry about his health and durability. With an arsenal and improved health it’s possible that Tagovailoa could become this generation’s Drew Brees, annually leading his team to the playoffs, and possibly winning a Super Bowl if the moon and the stars align for one season. But we need to see him lead the Dolphins to more wins against upper-echelon competition.
▪ The problem: There’s very little evidence that Tagovailoa can stay healthy, or that he will have a lengthy NFL career because of the number of injuries — from concussions, to hip issues, to broken bones — he has had throughout his career. The 26-year-old has missed 15 of 80 regular-season and playoff games because of medical issues.
Last year the Dolphins didn’t acquire or develop a backup capable of leading the team to victories in Tagovailoa’s absence, and that’s one of the main reasons Miami’s 2024 season got derailed. The Dolphins only won two of the six games Tagovailoa missed because of his two injuries. Miami must find a backup quarterback who can at least keep the ship afloat, delivering a .500 record as Tagovailoa’s replacement.
▪ The possibilities: Miami is committed to Tagovailoa through the 2026 season because of the five-year, $235 million contract it signed him to last summer. The franchise needs to find a way to make the 2020 first-round pick the best version of himself. That likely requires the Dolphins to build a brick wall of an offensive line and resurrect the run game, which thrived in 2023, but struggled in 2024.
The Dolphins decision-makers must also find a quality backup, someone better than Tyler “Snoop” Huntley, who won two of the five games he started for Miami last season. Whether that’s a veteran such as Jimmy Garoppolo (43-21 as a starter), Joe Flacco (105-86), Jameis Winston (36-51), Joshua Dobbs (3-12 as a starter), a rehab project such as Justin Fields (14-30) or Zach Wilson (12-21), or a second- or third-day draftee such as Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas’ Quinn Ewers or Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart will be determined by general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel.
Should Grier and McDaniel be allowed to draft another young quarterback in their win-a-playoff-game-or-get-shown-the-door season? That’s up for debate, especially when it’s factored in that the next head coach and general manager will likely want to select their own quarterback. But it’s unlikely owner Steve Ross will put restrictions on them considering he rarely has.
