Why the Miami Dolphins should keep Ryan Tannehill and draft a round one quarterback

In April the Miami Dolphins may or may not draft a quarterback in round one. They may also stay or move up or down the draft line. An early debate on what Miami should do at quarterback has social media in a frenzy.

The Miami Dolphins released a “2018 season is coming” video and it featured Ryan Tannehill. Not just featured as in he was in it, no other player was in it. Not a one. On Wednesday head coach Adam Gase met with the media and said that Ryan Tannehill is the starting quarterback in 2018.

Earlier this week there was speculation in some circles that the Dolphins could look to trade Tannehill and draft a quarterback in round one to replace him. The logic being his cap number is high, he is coming off a knee injury, and is hitting the wrong side of 30. So of course the next logical question to ask is why would anyone want to make that trade? Chances are, no one will.

While everyone debates whether or not the Dolphins should invest in a quarterback the reality is that it won’t hurt the team if they do. In fact, it could help them long term. Let us be real here, Ryan Tannehill hasn’t really proven anything just yet and all of the reasons Miami might consider trading him are reasons to draft a quarterback early. But not just any quarterback.

This years draft is top loaded with quarterback talent but that does not mean that the Dolphins should use their 11th overall pick on one. They shouldn’t unless one of two quarterbacks fall to them. Baker Mayfield or Josh Rosen.

Both of these two quarterbacks have a high ceiling and would make a lot of sense for the Dolphins. Miami can afford to leave Tannehill in place and give him some real camp competition. The rookie would have a year or maybe even two, to learn the NFL and the Adam Gase system.

As for Tannehill, he can prove that his knee is not an issue. If it’s not and he plays well, he is a tradeable assett in 2019 with a cap hit of only $2.3 million. His cap hit would be $21 million but many believe that is the new norm in the NFL for a starting quarterback. In other words another team could take that contract on and restructure.

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If Tannehill struggles this year, or re-injures his knee, there is a quarterback for the future on the roster. It’s forward thinking. Of course the argument to this is that Miami could spend a 2nd or a mid-round pick on a quarterback and develop him. True but Miami needs more than a developmental quarterback right now. They need someone who can come off the bench and take over the franchise if needed. They need a guy who has all the tools to become great and already has good coaching in his history file. The Dolphins need a QB who can play now in case Tannehill can not.

In an article from December, we looked at the top quarterbacks Miami could have drafted since 2001. Of the quarterbacks in the NFL today, that the Dolphins were in a position to potentially draft, only a handful stuck out. We will look at this later today.

What is important to remember is that if the Dolphins are looking at quarterback and there is a legit ready to play now or at the least mid-season if necessary, then Miami should take that QB in round one. If not, then grab a linebacker and address the position later in the draft. Miami needs to be proactive with this years crop of quarterbacks because they should have learned a valuable lesson from last years debacle with Jay Cutler.