5 Dolphins QB targets to replace Tua Tagovailoa in post-Chris Grier era

Anything and everything is on the table for the Miami Dolphins now that they've fired GM Chris Grier and fallen to 2-7 on the season after Thursday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. That includes quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's job security.

What was once a dynamic partnership between Tagovailoa and head coach Mike McDaniel has gone stale. Sure, Tua's multiple concussions are to blame for some of the Dolphins' decline, yet he's stayed mostly healthy in 2025, and the results are a disaster.

It's becoming clearer by the day that Tagovailoa is more of a league-average QB than a transcendent superstar who can carry the weight of a franchise on his shoulders.

All that to say, there are some attractive options for the Dolphins to consider under center as Tua's replacement in 2026 and beyond, regardless of whether McDaniel sticks around.

Dolphins must consider these quarterbacks to kick off the post-Chris Grier era

1. Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles

The tenured backup to Jalen Hurts has flashed awesome potential in the preseason. Additionally, Tanner McKee has thrived when called upon for regular-season mop-up duty in Hurts' place.

McKee is a towering 6-foot-6 figure with a cannon for a right arm and better mobility than he's credited for. Eagles GM Howie Roseman loves a trade more than just about any other NFL executive. If he can offload a player like McKee for a premium draft asset, you have to believe he'll at least consider it.

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One key area Tua falls short in as a passer is arm strength. That's where McKee could unlock a whole other level to the Dolphins' offense. Not to mention, his contract runs through next season and would only cost a little over $1 million in 2026.

McKee could be the bargain of all bargains for the Dolphins.

2. Joe Milton, Dallas Cowboys

What a tricky start to Joe Milton's NFL career. He arrived in New England as part of a brutal draft class other than Drake Maye, who's looking like an MVP-caliber QB to date.

Milton then proceeded to the Cowboys via trade, where Dak Prescott is playing some of the best ball of his career under Brian Schottenheimer, of all coaches. Doesn't leave much of a pathway for Milton to get significant playing time for the foreseeable future.

That is, unless the Dolphins come calling and offer Jerry Jones enough to take Milton off his hands. We all know Jerry loves a headline-grabbing transaction, right? Maybe more than Howie!

When Milton got the starting nod for the Patriots a season ago in Week 18, he completed 22 of 28 passes for 241 yards and a TD, and ran for another score. He was nothing short of electrifying.

I'd love to see what Mike McDaniel's schematic genius in the running game could do with a dynamic athlete like Milton at the controls. Plus, if McKee has a rocket arm, Milton's is akin to a nuclear weapon. Might be the strongest one on the planet right now. And he has touch.

3. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

Could we see a Jared Goff-Matthew Stafford type of blockbuster trade between the Dolphins and Cardinals? Both franchises have hit an impasse, and both their QBs could probably use a change of scenery.

Whether that'd be the way to get it done or not, Kyler Murray is such an intriguing option to replace Tagovailoa.

One admitted issue is that Murray won't strike anyone as a culture-changer or film junkie, but his talent is beyond reproach. Murray's ability to create out of structure, and explode as a runner on scrambles and designed QB runs would make McDaniel salivate at the possibilities.

If the Dolphins have loved anything in the McDaniel era, it's speed on offense. What a fascinating new wrinkle Murray could provide for Miami. He'd be lethal on RPOs and those quick-release throws that define McDaniel's passing attack.

4. Spencer Rattler, New Orleans Saints

When mulling replacements for Tagovailoa, the Dolphins also need to consider destinations that'd suit him. If they can score a promising QB in return, all the better.

The Saints have relegated Spencer Rattler to backup duties behind rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough. Spending such a high pick on a QB means New Orleans isn't liable to give up on Shough after only half a season, no matter how bad he looks. They have plenty of other holes on that roster to fill.

That's why the Saints could be interested in Tua. They play in a dome and face a Falcons team twice a season that also plays indoors. It's hard to come up with a better division fit for Tagovailoa than the NFC South, where he'd travel to warm, sunny Tampa and not-brutally-cold North Carolina.

As for the Rattler piece of this, he's a high-end talent who probably only fell in the draft because of concerns about his personality from a Netflix documentary he shot in high school. Rattler wasn't given a long leash under trying circumstances with the Saints. I bet if he had a coach like McDaniel, who put his arm around him and believed in him, he could raise the ceiling of the Dolphins' offense.

Interesting data point here re: Rattler vs. Tua.

This is admittedly the most difficult scenario among the ones proposed thus far. Rattler still doesn't have a full starting season under his belt, and the Saints would need to pull off some more of their trademark salary cap gymnastics to accommodate Tagovailoa's contract.

In working out OverTheCap.com's simulator to the max, it is indeed possible for New Orleans to create enough room for Tua. There would be about $24.3 million to spare after numerous contract restructures and other cost-saving moves.

5. A new face of the franchise via the 2026 NFL Draft

One way McDaniel can extend his tenure is by investing in a new hope at the quarterback position. We're talking about more of a four-for-one special of candidates to replace Tagovailoa here, but the 2026 NFL Draft looks pretty flush with QB options for Miami.

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza has to be considered the leader in the clubhouse as the draft's QB1. Mendoza outdueled probable first-round prospect Dante Moore in the Hoosiers' 30-20 win at Oregon.

The other seemingly obvious Day 1 guy is Alabama's Ty Simpson, with South Carolina signal-caller LaNorris Sellers looming as a wild card.

Drafting quarterbacks is such a crapshoot. It's easy to get in the weeds or be all "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" about any given prospect. We're talking about the most complex position in all of sports, where 20-somethings are asked to be the face of a multi-billion-dollar operation.

So whoever the Dolphins would draft among that lot, they should have their pick of the litter or thereabouts. Only the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns seem needier at QB among the NFL's current worst teams, in the event Tua leaves the Fins.

Getting Tagovailoa's contract off the books in favor of a bargain rookie deal who doubles as long-term hope for the franchise wouldn't be the worst move. It's just that, given the aforementioned appealing options who are in the league now, Miami could opt to use its top pick on a pressing need at another position.