As soon as Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s knee buckled on a routine rollout play this past Thursday, the second-guessing of how the team and player handled his original injury began. Instead of opting for the better long-term solution back in late December to fully stabilize Tannehill’s knee, Miami, Tannehill and independent doctors decided to try the non-surgical route, which was reportedly green-lighted by several parties. But with the benefit of hindsight after his non-contact injury, the Dolphins must now do the right thing for his future and push the surgical option.
Allowing him to sit for half the season and then play would be as reckless as their original decision, but no decision has been made yet. Season-ending surgery is the expected route per two Dolphins team sources. After that, the team will move quickly to secure a veteran quarterback.
Before we get into who the Dolphins should and will look at, I want to note that Tannehill’s tenure has been underrated by many media members. Though Tannehill’s not in the elite category, he’s developed into a team leader and one of the most accurate passers in the league over the last few seasons. It’s almost comical that Tannehill suffered an injury right before making his first playoff appearance, and again before a season when his surrounding cast was finally ready to properly help.
Even with an atrocious guard situation and health concerns at center and tight end, the 2017 Dolphins were primed to have their best offense during the Tannehill-era. The inevitable drop-off the offense will have with another signal-caller will be more notable over the course of a full season than the four full games he missed last year, though the duds backup Matt Moore had in Week 17 and the playoff game against Pittsburgh was a glimpse of how limited teams are without an above-average quarterback.
Tannehill boasts rare toughness and poise, willing to take huge hits to deliver passes. His ability to hit tight passing windows while still leading his receivers is another strength that few other quarterbacks in the world can routinely execute. While he’s still inconsistent from half-to-half, so are all but a handful of quarterbacks. It’ll be impossible to replace Tannehill this season, and even long-term, it’s much more likely the team goes back to awful play at the position than upgrading right away.
This, along with his leadership and personality, is why the Dolphins have continued to back Tannehill both publicly and privately since Gase was hired. Barring a major setback with Tannehill’s knee after he presumably has surgery, he will be back as the starter in 2018, even though Miami can escape his contract for just $4.6 million. Multiple team and rival team sources alike agreed that Tannehill’s own competitiveness and drive to play was a factor in why he didn’t opt for surgery after the initial injury, but it backfired.
The Dolphins chose to try a shortcut and now they’ll be in a tough position as the roster is built to win now but are missing the most important player on the offense, with no guarantee he’ll ever be 100%. Still, the team won’t have the resources to replace his roster spot. They have $17 million in cap space right now, at least 60% of that will be allocated to his replacement, and this will have a trickle-down effect to receiver Jarvis Landry’s extension, and multiple other veterans who must re-work their deals next offseason. If Miami could have rolled over the $17 million, they would have had $20 million to use if they wanted to go another direction, pending any other veteran releases.
Those candidates could include Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford, if Teddy Bridgewater proves healthy, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, Saints quarterback Drew Brees (the ultimate long-shot and the only quarterback the team would potentially be interested in even if Tannehill were healthy, per a source), Kirk Cousins (who will receive interest from the Jaguars, Jets, 49ers and potentially the Broncos and price out Miami), and Jimmy Garoppolo, who will take over the Patriots kingdom after Brady retires next offseason (that’s my own theory).
Because Tannehill has a friendly contract, they’d open just $15 million by releasing him next year. Guaranteeing an equal or lesser quarterback more money would be foolish, and the team knows it. This is another example of a Madden-like mindset that some have where the team can cut half their players and easily replace them through free agency. It’s much more likely the Dolphins will draft a quarterback and bring Tannehill back.
As far as options for this season, the team has been transparent about their process, even to the media. Jay Cutler is their preferred option, though nothing will pick up until the Tannehill decision has been made. Cutler and Miami have been playing chicken as far as the money, but rival agents expect him to get around $10 million plus incentives, leaving Miami with little else to work with this season. He had no interest in playing for the Jets, and Houston landed Deshaun Watson in the draft, killing any expected interest there.
Colin Kaepernick’s name has been bandied about as well, and the team would be willing to explore signing him if Cutler decides against joining Miami. The team fully supports players willing to make political statements, which is a credit to owner Stephen Ross. Kaepernick and Cutler would be significant upgrades on Moore, who the team has little interest in trotting out as the starter despite the advantage of sticking with him as far as future cap flexibility.
The disadvantage of waiting longer on Tannehill’s knee is that Kaepernick won’t have as much time to practice with the team, which they feel is something Cutler won’t have to deal with since Gase and Cutler have worked together in the past. But they also agree that anyone else will be a step down from Tannehill, so they want to be 100% on any decision.
Anyone else is considered unlikely or a backup to Moore. That means no to Peyton Manning, Alex Smith, Teddy Bridegwater, or any other starter worth a damn. Trevor Siemian from the Broncos and Brock Osweiler from the Browns were mentioned to me in various conversations but those were more of casual mentions. Though Osweiler wouldn't require other roster moves by the Dolphins to fit his bloated $16 million contract since they have a little over $17 million available.
One last thing; any notion that Tannehill, a pre-med major at Texas A&M, should have any input based on his educational background, is ridiculous. Per A&M’s own website a pre-med major includes just three biology classes, which is one more than most students have to take as an elective.
Allowing him to sit for half the season and then play would be as reckless as their original decision, but no decision has been made yet. Season-ending surgery is the expected route per two Dolphins team sources. After that, the team will move quickly to secure a veteran quarterback.
Before we get into who the Dolphins should and will look at, I want to note that Tannehill’s tenure has been underrated by many media members. Though Tannehill’s not in the elite category, he’s developed into a team leader and one of the most accurate passers in the league over the last few seasons. It’s almost comical that Tannehill suffered an injury right before making his first playoff appearance, and again before a season when his surrounding cast was finally ready to properly help.
Even with an atrocious guard situation and health concerns at center and tight end, the 2017 Dolphins were primed to have their best offense during the Tannehill-era. The inevitable drop-off the offense will have with another signal-caller will be more notable over the course of a full season than the four full games he missed last year, though the duds backup Matt Moore had in Week 17 and the playoff game against Pittsburgh was a glimpse of how limited teams are without an above-average quarterback.
Tannehill boasts rare toughness and poise, willing to take huge hits to deliver passes. His ability to hit tight passing windows while still leading his receivers is another strength that few other quarterbacks in the world can routinely execute. While he’s still inconsistent from half-to-half, so are all but a handful of quarterbacks. It’ll be impossible to replace Tannehill this season, and even long-term, it’s much more likely the team goes back to awful play at the position than upgrading right away.
This, along with his leadership and personality, is why the Dolphins have continued to back Tannehill both publicly and privately since Gase was hired. Barring a major setback with Tannehill’s knee after he presumably has surgery, he will be back as the starter in 2018, even though Miami can escape his contract for just $4.6 million. Multiple team and rival team sources alike agreed that Tannehill’s own competitiveness and drive to play was a factor in why he didn’t opt for surgery after the initial injury, but it backfired.
The Dolphins chose to try a shortcut and now they’ll be in a tough position as the roster is built to win now but are missing the most important player on the offense, with no guarantee he’ll ever be 100%. Still, the team won’t have the resources to replace his roster spot. They have $17 million in cap space right now, at least 60% of that will be allocated to his replacement, and this will have a trickle-down effect to receiver Jarvis Landry’s extension, and multiple other veterans who must re-work their deals next offseason. If Miami could have rolled over the $17 million, they would have had $20 million to use if they wanted to go another direction, pending any other veteran releases.
Those candidates could include Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford, if Teddy Bridgewater proves healthy, Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, Saints quarterback Drew Brees (the ultimate long-shot and the only quarterback the team would potentially be interested in even if Tannehill were healthy, per a source), Kirk Cousins (who will receive interest from the Jaguars, Jets, 49ers and potentially the Broncos and price out Miami), and Jimmy Garoppolo, who will take over the Patriots kingdom after Brady retires next offseason (that’s my own theory).
Because Tannehill has a friendly contract, they’d open just $15 million by releasing him next year. Guaranteeing an equal or lesser quarterback more money would be foolish, and the team knows it. This is another example of a Madden-like mindset that some have where the team can cut half their players and easily replace them through free agency. It’s much more likely the Dolphins will draft a quarterback and bring Tannehill back.
As far as options for this season, the team has been transparent about their process, even to the media. Jay Cutler is their preferred option, though nothing will pick up until the Tannehill decision has been made. Cutler and Miami have been playing chicken as far as the money, but rival agents expect him to get around $10 million plus incentives, leaving Miami with little else to work with this season. He had no interest in playing for the Jets, and Houston landed Deshaun Watson in the draft, killing any expected interest there.
Colin Kaepernick’s name has been bandied about as well, and the team would be willing to explore signing him if Cutler decides against joining Miami. The team fully supports players willing to make political statements, which is a credit to owner Stephen Ross. Kaepernick and Cutler would be significant upgrades on Moore, who the team has little interest in trotting out as the starter despite the advantage of sticking with him as far as future cap flexibility.
The disadvantage of waiting longer on Tannehill’s knee is that Kaepernick won’t have as much time to practice with the team, which they feel is something Cutler won’t have to deal with since Gase and Cutler have worked together in the past. But they also agree that anyone else will be a step down from Tannehill, so they want to be 100% on any decision.
Anyone else is considered unlikely or a backup to Moore. That means no to Peyton Manning, Alex Smith, Teddy Bridegwater, or any other starter worth a damn. Trevor Siemian from the Broncos and Brock Osweiler from the Browns were mentioned to me in various conversations but those were more of casual mentions. Though Osweiler wouldn't require other roster moves by the Dolphins to fit his bloated $16 million contract since they have a little over $17 million available.
One last thing; any notion that Tannehill, a pre-med major at Texas A&M, should have any input based on his educational background, is ridiculous. Per A&M’s own website a pre-med major includes just three biology classes, which is one more than most students have to take as an elective.