Has Henne Played His Last Game As The Dolphins QB?

To say that the last two years were abysmal for Chad Henne would be an understatement.  This year however, Henne looked like it was all starting to click.  A new offensive coordinator and a new system took the Chad Pennington/wild cat offense out of the team and replaced it with one more efficient and directed at the capabilities of Chad Henne.  Now, it’s time to move on.  The only lingering question for the Miami Dolphins and Chad Henne is this:

Has Chad Henne played his last game for the Miami Dolphins?

After receiving a second opinion on his shoulder injury, Henne will undergo season ending surgery to repair the shoulder on his non-throwing arm.  It comes at a bad time considering that this was his contract year.  Surely it is going to take a chunk of change out of his pocket…provided of course that his numbers continued to improve across the season.

But where does Henne fit in with Miami’s future plans?

The reality of the issue will begin and end with the hiring of a new head coach if and when Stephen Ross gives Tony Sparano the ax.  There are a lot of variables to consider when thinking aloud about the prospect of Henne returning.  Coaching, management, outside offers, offensive coordinator, and of course contract.  For the next few months focus is going to turn away from Henne and become squarely placed on the shoulders of Matt Moore and any other QB they bring in, recent rumor says Sage Rosenfelds.

How well or how poorly Matt Moore performs will also go a long way in determining whether or not Henne returns as well.  The Dolphins may look to the draft, they should look to the draft, and in doing so that could spell the end of Chad Henne as well.

I would be hard pressed to speculate with any ounce of certainty but if I were a betting man, I would guess that Chad Henne will be looking for work next year somewhere else and here is why.  Henne, while he has been much improved this year, is still not a franchise quarterback.  Which means the team will likely draft one in round 1.  With Matt Moore under contract for two years, why bring Henne back to compete for a starting role?  The team by the end of the year will know exactly what Matt Moore has or doesn’t have.

Instead of Chad Henne becoming the bridge to a rookie, that job will likely fall now on the shoulder and arm of Moore or a veteran QB that the Dolphins bring in, such as the aforementioned Rosenfelds.  Either way, the Dolphins will not be set at QB regardless of whether Moore turns it around and leads the team to the playoffs.  Well, o.k. maybe that would turn quite a few heads.  Truth is Henne is a product of this system like he was a product of the Henning system that failed.  He has found success through four weeks but nothing translated into victories.  Without this season under his belt, Henne doesn’t provide the Dolphins a suitable option for 2012 unless Moore and the other QB’s fail.