A few national commentators have said this past week that Miami should draft Washington quarterback Miami Penix Jr with the 21st pick in Round 1 of the NFL Draft.
SPOILER ALERT: They won’t.
But…Miami should draft a quarterback at some point in this draft.
That’s right, I said it, and I stand by it.
I’m not saying they will or should replace Tua in 2024.
I’m not saying take a quarterback in round 1 or round 2, and I know they currently don’t have a pick in round 3 or 4. Yet, they should still take a quarterback at some point in this draft. Or maybe trade back in round 1 or 2, grab a pick in round 3 or 4, and take a quarterback then.
The answer to this is very simple: The Dolphins need quarterback insurance.
SPOILER ALERT: The Miami Dolphins will give Tua a big-money contract extension this offseason. He will be the Miami Dolphins franchise quarterback moving forward for years to come.
The concerns raised by people like Joel Klatt of FOX or Chris Brockman from the Rich Eisen Show are valid though. Should Miami invest big money and give a long-term contract to a guy with a long injury history who hasn’t performed well under the bright lights of the NFL?
Tua’s history of concussions doesn’t get suddenly ignored because he didn’t get hurt in 2023 and has only one healthy season in the NFL.
Tua’s quality of play and record as a starting quarterback in games played in December and January going back to his rookie season is poor, to say it nicely.
The Dolphins will be in “WIN NOW” mode in 2024 and 2025; if god forbid Tua gets hurt and is out for a long period of time, they need someone who can step in and bring more to the table than Mike White or Skylar Thompson.
Not to mention (and this is the biggest reason why Miami needs to draft a quarterback this year), what if after you give Tua a 5-year contract extension, he suffers another head injury? Or any injury that brings his career to a halt?
What if he continues to come up short in December and January and falls on his face in the biggest games in the most important months?
You can’t just sit on your hands and wait for 2027 or 2028 for his contract to run out to move on. You can’t punt on the next 3 or 4 seasons.
Miami better have a Plan B in their back pocket. A quarterback prospect they are working on behind the scenes in case this Tua extension blows up in their face and doesn’t work out in their favor. Plus, with a great quarterbacks coach like Miami has in Darrell Bevell I think giving him a quarterback right out of college to groom would pay quick dividends.
You better have a young quarterback in the pipeline that you can mold, groom, and develop to, at the very least, be your #2 quarterback come 2025 after Mike White’s contract ends and, in the worst case, break glass in case of an emergency scenario, be someone who you can maybe build up to be your starting quarterback of the future should Tua not pan out before he is off the books (i.e., salary cap).
With all due respect to Skylar Thompson, who will be entering year three, the Dolphins don’t have that guy on their roster. And there is no better time to add that guy than right now, when you are on the verge of giving your start, Tua Tagovailoa, a long-term deal.
It’s called quarterback insurance, and Miami needs to look into it in this 2024 NFL Draft.
Heres a better idea. Trade TUA NOW! Draft a QB and sign a veteran with more than ONE skillset like Tua has.
Miami should trade down from the 21st spot for more picks. Miami definitely needs to draft a QB. They might get lucky and draft the next brock purdy or tom brady. Plus bring in some undrafted QBs. I would cut white. Let Thompson be the backup. White was awful last year.
Save draft picks and bring in AJ Mccarron
To give Tua 55 million is crazy. An if they do they need to sale the team. He is not the future look at his second half of the season since he been a starter ugly bad. That don’t say winning playoffs games or super bowl. He needs a new start and draft Penix JR and let Tua play out his contract tell Penix JR is ready in about a year or two if he don’t come in and take over. Draft Penix JR then work on the lines on both sides of the ball. Got to Protect and got to jam up that defense of line and get to the QB
I’ve seen Thomson play at K-State he’s has the arm and runs like a linebacker the kid can play let him play all preseason and you will see we have our quarterback!
I’m with Smart, trade Tua cuz we just witnessed his ceiling and it wasn’t fun to watch when it matters most. Sign Flacco for 2 yrs and either draft a qb this season or next depending on what picks you acquire and the player in mind. Yes, punt on White and keep Sklar. And no on Penix as his injury list be worse than Tua, though he can throw the deep ball w/ confidence, unlike Tua.