Miami Dolphins should make run at Teddy Bridgewater in off-season
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins may or may not keep Ryan Tannehill in 2019. That will be up to Adam Gase who is likely to stay as head coach.
In 2018 Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross wanted Miami to draft Lamar Jackson in the first round. The powers that be opted to draft Minkah Fitzpatrick instead. Ross wasn’t so enamored with Jackson as much as he wanted a new quarterback. It is likely that he will want one again in 2019.
Enter the discussion of Teddy Bridgewater.
The 2019 NFL Draft is not expected to be deep at quarterback and the top of the class at the position are not considered to be can’t miss prospects. That is fine actually, Miami should wait until the 2020 draft when the class could be one of the best in years. All considered however, that does not solve the Dolphins quarterback problems.
Miami seems to be set with another year of Tannehill but he needs real competition and a very short leash if he stays. By signing likely to be free agent Teddy Bridgwater, the Dolphins could find that competition for him or maybe just replace him outright.
Bridgewater has barely playing in three years after suffering a major knee injury. He spent time with the Jets and then was traded to the Saints to back-up Drew Brees. Drew Brees the Hall of Fame quarterback. See where I am going here? A young Teddy Bridgewater may not be a long-term answer at quarterback but if he can be a bridge he might be a good one after spending a season with Brees.
Bridgewater won’t be cheap but he shouldn’t break any banks either. There are a lot of questions about his knee and his future and probably as many teams looking at him this off-season.
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By brining Bridgewater into the fold Miami should be able to stay competitive even if Tannehill is traded or released or even replaced by the youngster at some point in 2019. The Dolphins must find a way to be more proactive in solving the quarterback issues that continue to plague this team.
Adam Gase said on Monday that the inconsistency of the offense makes it very hard to evaluate Ryan Tannehill. Bunk. Gase is giving a lot of lip service. Tannehill is the same quarterback he was in 2012 and that isn’t going to change. A consistent offensive line is not going to improve his pocket presence or his ability to make reads, it will only give him more time to do it. That isn’t improving.
A short-term contract for Bridgewater would make a lot of sense. Turn the team over to him on a prove it deal and put him in a position to prove it. If he works out and plays well you can still draft a quarterback to compete in 2020 but now your QB position may be a spot of strength. If he doesn’t work out, release him. One thing is for certain, Tannehill is not the answer unless Miami can fix everything that is wrong on both sides of the ball because he doesn’t have the talent to pull it off himself.
Maybe Bridgewater is not the answer but we already know that Tannehill is not. You keep swinging the bat until you hit the ball and if you can’t ever hit the ball, you won’t be standing in the batters box for long.