5 potential replacements for Miami Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill
Ryan Tannehill and the Miami Dolphins are on the rocks. With a split between the two becoming more of a reality, South Beach looks to welcome a new quarterback to call the shots.
The Miami Dolphins horrid start to the season is compounded by the fact that Ryan Tannehill appears to be losing his grip on the team’s starting quarterback spot. Converting a college wide receiver into an NFL quarterback already sounds sketchy but now, roughly a third of the way through his fifth year as the starter, Tannehill hasn’t shown any significant improvement.
Blame it on the offensive line. Blame it on the revamped defense from a year ago that’s not holding up their end of the bargain. Blame it on the growing pains of a new coaching staff. Bottom line is Tannehill’s been the one constant through all those changes, and yet, Miami seems to have regressed more than progressed.
So what does Miami do now? Replace Tannehill, of course! Though the front office might have no choice but to wait until 2016 ends before they can make a move, eyes are already turning toward the future in Miami. Let’s take a look at a few of the players the Dolphins could bring aboard to steady themselves under center.
CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach John Fox of the Chicago Bears talks with quarterback Jay Cutler in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field on September 19, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
5. Jay Cutler
Cutler has lost his spot as the Chicago Bears’ signal caller for the time being to career journeyman Brian Hoyer. While it’s not set in stone that Hoyer will officially take the reigns for the remainder of the season, Cutler’s resume of work has gradually worsened ever since his controversial exit from the 2010 NFC Championship game.
Despite the inconsistency plaguing Cutler’s career, he did have a positive spike in production last year under the tutelage of then-offensive coordinator and now first-year Miami head coach, Adam Gase. He has been advertised as a “quarterback guru,” serving as mentor for the great Peyton Manning during his time in Denver, and recently, made a reclamation project out of Cutler last season. Reuniting Cutler with Gase in a new setting may be just what the doctor ordered for both the Dolphins and Jay himself.
Though be aware: Cutler isn’t going to magically become a better quarterback because he switched cities. He’ll still make boneheaded throws into tight coverage and will likely blow a game or two by relying too much on his arm talent. If it didn’t happen when he left Denver for Chicago, it’d be unrealistic to think going to glitzy Miami will be any different.
That being said, Cutler will be able to maximize the offensive talent around him more so than Tannehill. Receivers Jarvis Landry and DeVante Parker would benefit from having a real quarterback throwing balls their way, not just some receiver-turned-quarterback wannabe like Tannehill. Cutler’s a real option for Miami in 2017, even with his propensity for head-scratching errors.
Oct 9, 2016; Baltimore, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) points to Baltimore Ravens defensive end Lawrence Guy (93) after a late hit call during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
4. Kirk Cousins
“You Like That” became the rallying cry for Cousins, the Redskins and Washingtonians alike when he went on his nine-game, 20 TD and 3 INT streak to lead D.C. to their first division title in three years last season. However, Cousins has struggled to replicate that success through the first five games of the season, only netting 7 TDs and 5 INTS. With the jury still out on “Captain Kirk,” he may be playing his way out of Washington and onto a new team come 2017.
So what better place to go then sunny Miami? South Beach would welcome Cousins with open arms as his level of inconsistency pales in comparison to Tannehill’s.
Just look at this for a frame of reference: In Cousins’ 30 total starts as an NFL quarterback, he’s thrown 50 TDS and 31 INTS. In Tannehill’s first 30 starts as an NFL quarterback he threw 35 TDs to 27 INTS. Granted, Cousins had the benefit of riding the bench a bit to absorb the NFL game without being thrown into the fire like Tannehill. But the discrepancy is large enough to note that one guy’s an actual big-league quarterback while the other is still playing catch up.
Gase may be attracted to Cousins’ because of the what the stat sheet doesn’t show: his studiousness. Cousins really delves into all the elements of football in attempt to understand the game at the highest level. It’s why former Redskins coach Mike Shanahan and current head coach Jay Gruden have given him high praise in the classroom.
Like I said in the beginning though, the jury is still out on Cousins. If he rips off another multi-game hot streak like he did last year, Washington has first dibs on him and won’t let him leave the building. But if Cousins can’t continue his rise to prominence, expect Miami to court him–hard–in the offseason.
Aug 18, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) participates in pre game warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
3. Teddy Bridgewater
Poor Teddy. Last year he loses a playoff game he shouldn’t have, and coming into this season serving as the leader of the Minnesota Vikings, he goes down with a brutal ACL tear in training camp. The injury threw the team into flux for about a week or so until the Vikings finagled a trade with Philadelphia for Sam Bradford. Now seemingly overnight, Bradford (and a nasty defense) have elevated Minnesota to a Super Bowl-caliber team.
What does that mean for Bridgewater? Likely that he’ll have to postpone his pity party and start looking toward the horizon, because Minnesota may not want to ruin what they have going right now.
Teddy’s not the ideal quarterback, physically-speaking. His arm is a little weak. His delivery is an awkward, side-arm sling motion that won’t serve him well later in his career. He has average mobility and average feet.
Though beyond his physical makeup, Teddy has a great knack for leadership and inspiring others. This was the guy who had a group of hardened veterans rallying behind him at the age of 23, just three years into the league. That’s saying something for a player who was projected as a huge bust coming out of college, and also is a big knock on Tannehill who’s failed to grip his locker room over the years.
Leadership is what Miami needs more than anything. Bridgewater will bring stability to the locker room and demand the best from those around him. That’ll be a big boost for Gase, who won’t have to worry about quarterback’s perception among teammates. Instead, he can focus on tailoring a game plan to Bridgewater’s strength as a passer and work from there.
If Gase’s play-calling can unlock Teddy’s sweet spot as a quarterback, then this will be a match made in heaven for the desperate Dolphins.
Sep 18, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) makes a pass while being defended by Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso (47) during the second quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
2. Jimmy Garoppolo
Only a game and a half of film is out there on the “Italian Stallion” Garoppolo before he suffered his throwing-shoulder injury. Regardless, Gase saw first-hand the damage he could do as Jimmy G lit up the Dolphins in Week 2 for 3 TDS and a 135.4 passer rating before his early exit.
Though he may have torched Miami, it was Jimmy’s first career start that caught everyone’s eye: Opening night, in primetime, on the road against the NFC’s runner-up in the Arizona Cardinals. Garoppolo didn’t panic against a strong defense or collapse under the weight of expectation, but instead stayed within himself and made sharp reads and darted passes when his team needed him to. Part of it was good coaching on the legendary Bill Belichick’s part, but you also have to pay credit to Garoppolo for executing the way he did.
So what better way for Gase to gut his main competition than to lure their understudy away? Of course, barring injury, Tom Brady still has a few good years left and that would certainly hinder Garoppolo’s progression as the AFC East’s top quarterback. But once Brady eventually retires, and if the Dolphins manage to get Garoppolo, then Gase-Garoppolo has a chance to rival the Belichick-Brady regime.
A coachable player with a quick release and good feet, Garoppolo might be gaining most of his attention from potential alone. Nevertheless, the risk of his potential has far more upside than the known reality that comes with Tannehill as the Dolphins starter. Gase will try one way or another to bring Jimmy G in, and if that happens, watch out.
Oct 1, 2016; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) looks to pass the ball during the third quarter against the Louisville Cardinals at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
1. Rookies
If all else fails and the Dolphins can’t get an experienced quarterback to replace Tannehill, then they turning toward the draft is never a poor option. The 2017 draft is looking to produce a solid amount of prospects that Gase will have no problem molding into a pro-caliber quarterback. The sooner they could potentially take over for Tannehill’s lack of sufficient play since 2012, the better.
Depending on where exactly in the draft order Miami will fall (though as it stands, they’ll probably be a safe top-10 pick, pushing toward top-5) the Dolphins could be landing anyone from Clemson’s Deshaun Watson to University of Miami’s Brad Kaaya. There are distinct advantages with each potential pick, so deciphering those will be key to which one Gase and the front office deem worthy of investing in.
Take Watson, for instance. He was the Heisman trophy front-runner in the preseason. Watson has lost that edge thanks to his lack of dynamic plays early in the season but that doesn’t mean the ability isn’t there. Deshaun still boasts a beautiful deep ball, sound mechanics and a command for his team and the huddle in crisis situations–all must haves to make it in the NFL. That will go a long way for a franchise that has been without steady quarterback play since Dan Marino left Miami in the late 1990s.
However it all comes down availability and how pressing the need is. Miami could miss out on their guy in the draft and may want to use that first round pick to strengthen their porous offensive line instead. Holding off until 2018 for other rising stars like Louisville’s Lamar Jackson or UCLA’s Josh Rosen to become available isn’t necessarily a bad choice when you consider who could be a free agent in March. But if everything adds up for Gase and the other Dolphins executives, they could take a leap on a big name from the Class of 2017.
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