The Dolphins Must Find a Young Long-Term Answer at Quarterback

With Miami Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa now re-injuring his hip and missing the final two games of the regular season and six regular season games this year, the Dolphins must invest in a young quarterback who can be their long-term answer at the position.

Whether you are the biggest Tua fan in Dolphins nation or someone who hasn’t believed in him since day one, we now have a large enough sample size to clearly state that Tua can’t be trusted to stay on the field for a full season.

He did it once in 2023, but that is the outlier and not the norm.

So where do the Dolphins go from here?

With Tua’s new $200+ million contract that will kick in after the season, there is no moving on from him as the salary cap ramifications would cripple the Dolphins organization in 2025.

Of course, the 2024 season was lost when Tua suffered a concussion in Week 2 and missed four games, so the chatter has been that Miami must get a capable and trustworthy backup quarterback for when Tua goes down again (which seems to happen very often these days).

And yes, that is one option for a backup quarterback: consider Kirk Cousins, Gardner Minshew, or Joe Flacco as Tua’s backup.

I think, though, that is the incorrect approach. I mean, I get it: Since they are all in on Tua, invest in a quality backup for the handful of games you know he won’t be there.

But I would take a totally different approach.

There is no long-term future with Tua as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback; I think all Dolphins fans have to accept that fact. And yes, when he plays, he plays well; we can nitpick that he comes up small in big games, doesn’t beat good teams, and has to work on a few things, but overall, he is an average to above-average NFL starting quarterback. The issue is he can’t stay healthy.

We have all heard the old saying that your best ability is your availability. Well, Tua just isn’t available enough.

That’s not hating, that’s stating.

And yes, Tua will be on the team for the next two seasons; nothing can be done about that. But that doesn’t mean Miami shouldn’t be looking for the young, long-term answer at quarterback right now.

I believe Miami doesn’t need a veteran backup quarterback, but they need to invest in a young quarterback to be their quarterback of the future.

Let them be the #2 behind Tua, and when (not if) Tua gets hurt again (and the next concussion or hip injury may be his last at the way things are going), they have the next kid already on the roster ready to go.

Justin Fields will be a free agent this offseason; Miami should consider signing him. Is he a perfect fit for Mike McDaniel’s offense? Today, no. But if McDaniel is this “genius,” then coach him up. Or tweak the offense for Fields and make an offense for him.

There were reports earlier this week that the Vikings may break the bank this offseason by re-signing and keeping Sam Darnold as their QB1 and paying him big bucks. They would then consider trading JJ McCarthy, whom they took in Rd 1 last April and who was supposed to be their starting quarterback until he tore his knee up in a preseason game in August. Some reporters have said those reports are untrue; others stand by the reports. Either way, Miami should inquire if McCarthy can be had via trade.

If Miami wanted to trade back in Rd 1 or use their 2nd round pick to trade back into the back end of Round 1 to draft a quarterback, a Jalen Milroe, or someone like that, I think that may be wise as well. Taking a quarterback on Rd 1 gives you that 5th-year option on their contract, which is nice.

If I were the Dolphins, they should be looking at those types of moves this offseason. McCarthy is still on a rookie deal; Fields wouldn’t break the bank as his time in Chicago wasn’t great, and he was a backup this year and didn’t play much.

Because the clock is ticking on Tua in Miami.

Again, he will be here for the next two seasons, but after that, Tua Time will be over in Miami. His inability to stay healthy and his refusal to slide and protect his body is just head-scratching and is causing his downfall in the NFL.

But if you’re the Miami Dolphins, you can’t let Tua and his carlessness hold back the organization from doing the right thing at the most important position on the team.