The Miami Dolphins must find a quarterback in the off-season

The Miami Dolphins are holding their breaths as they await the outcome of their season and the post-season chances but no matter what happens they must solve their quarterback problem this off-season.

Ryan Tannehill will be the quarterback in 2018, or at least he has a 90% chance if not better of being that QB. The Dolphins could always trade or release him and the $4.6 million in dead cap money is very edible. Miami could also opt to restructure his contract.

The problem Miami faces however is the unknown condition of his knee. Will it tear again? Will it mentally or physically keep him from running the football? A crucial part of his game as a quarterback. The Dolphins will have to weigh this as they look towards the 2018 season.

Despite the divided fan base, Tannehill played well in his first season with Adam Gase. Obviously we have no idea how he would have fared this season because of the aforementioned knee injury. The Dolphins have brough Tannehill to every away game this year which indicates that he is the quarterback of 2018.

Keeping him would be smart. The 2019 cap savings increase to just over $18 million and the dead space drops to just over $2 million. This is where finding a quarterback this off-season becomes a priority.

The Dolphins can not afford to assume that Tannehill will recover or not relapse. They need to have a suitable back-up or a successor to him in place should he re-injure his knee. If he stays healthy all season, having a successor gives the Dolphins a season to groom Tannehill’s replacement. Maybe two years.

The key here is develop a quarterback for the future. I like Tannehill, especially the growth he has shown last year but I’m not blind to the fact that Miami does not have an option if Tannehill is not on the field. The Dolphins attempt at plugging the hole with Cutler has not worked. Nor did it work with Matt Moore.

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Whether through the draft or free agency, the Dolphins have to do something. Band-aids will not work and if they lose Tannehill they will be sitting in the same place they are right now. But where do they find a quarterback?

There are only a few QB’s that will be available in free agency that can either compete with Tannehill or provide a reliable starter should he go down. Teddy Bridgewater is one of those players. The Vikings are not likely to keep both Bridgewater and Case Keenum. Of course the NFL Draft provides a better option.

Miami should draft a quarterback and honestly, I’m not opposed to drafting one in round one. There is a lot of talent in this years draft but many experts do not see a day one starter. Miami will not likely need a day one starter if Tannehill is their plan for 2018. They need a quarterback to groom. It’s a little early to surmise which quarterbacks would be the best option and in what round.

What we know as a fact and something the Dolphins should recognize as a fact is that Miami can’t afford to enter the season with Ryan Tannehill and either Matt Moore or David Fales as the only back-ups. They also can’t afford to spend a late round pick on a QB with the hopes of Tannehill staying healthy long enough for them to try to develop the player.

Miami has to address the position with someone who can step in and play should Tannehill not be able to. Who or where they find that QB is anyone’s guess at this moment.