Dolphins Jay Cutler hasn’t ruled out a return in 2018, just not as a back-up

The Miami Dolphins won’t say it but everyone in the media and their fan base knows it. They have quarterback problem. Again.

Ryan Tannehill will be the starting QB in 2018 unless his surgically repaired knee has problems that force him back to the IR. This is a problem for the Dolphins. The uncertainty with Tannehill leaves the Dolphins with a potential problem in 2018 should they lose their starting quarterback.

Who is going to back him up heading into camp? If you believe Jay Cutler, it won’t be him.

Cutler spoke with the media today and said that he is undecided on a return in 2018 but he also said that he does not want to come back next season as a back-up. So the ball is in your court now Miami.

The Dolphins can’t bring Cutler back and call him the starter, unless they do. Paying both he and Tannehill starter money doesn’t make sense either and starting Cutler over a healthy Tannehill makes even less sense. So what now?

Miami has options. First if the really like Cutler over Tannehill they could trade Tannehill, re-sign Cutler to a one year deal and then draft a quarterback early in round one or two with the hopes of developing the QB for the 2019 season.

The Dolphins could also keep Tannehill obviously and not bother to coax Cutler into a return at all. Miami will still need to find a suitable back-up. Matt Moore is a free agent and David Fales has thrown one pass in his career.

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Miami needs to draft a quarterback for the future. Tannehill could return to normal and have no issues with his knee but at 30 years old and already about as good as he is going to be, the Dolphins need to find a suitable option after Tannehill.

Miami has done a bad job the last decade or more with getting quarterbacks. The starters have relatively been no better than the back-ups who have not been very good. The trend of not drafting quarterbacks until the later rounds has to stop and the Dolphins need to start thinking early to mid-round.

With a long list of objectives for the off-season, the quarterback position will once again be back in the spotlight.