The Miami Dolphins and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have a pair of crises on their hands.
After suffering a concussion against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, Tagovailoa’s future is in a bit of doubt, and a Dolphins franchise with Super Bowl aspirations must navigate at minimum the short-term without the franchise quarterback they just committed $212 million to this summer.
There’s always the possibility that the Dolphins stay the course with backup quarterback Skyler Thompson, it may be worth pursuing an upgrade.
While there may be a temptation for head coach Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins to turn to a veteran such as Ryan Tannehill to stem the tide with a veteran offense loaded with playmakers at the skill positions, Tannehill is pretty far from a scheme fit and his final days with the Tennessee Titans were underwhelming, to say the least.
Here are there reasonable possibilities the Dolphins should pursue to replace Tagovailoa.
C.J. Beathard
Perhaps the most important trait for any quarterback the Dolphins look to add in hopes of staying afloat for as long as Tagovailoa is sidelined this season is experience in Mike Mcdaniel’s or Kyle Shanahan’s scheme.
Given the uniqueness of Miami’s pre-snap motion concepts and complexity of the scheme, understanding the playbook without the need for weeks worth of studying i order to be effective must be a prerequisite.
Beathard spent three seasons in San Francisco where he passed for 3,469 yards with 18 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. Given that Beathard has past experience in the system, and is currently a free agent who wouldn’t cost the Dolphins an asset to acquire, it wouldn’t be surprising if the 30-year-old veteran is in South Beach in short order.
Jimmy Garoppolo (Rams Backup QB)
Garoppolo is eligible to return from his suspension for violating the league’s Performance Enhancing Drug Policy, and the Dolphins should at least gauge the Rams’ interest in trading away Matthew Stafford’s top backup.
With the experience of guiding the 49ers’ offense to a pair of Super Bowl appearances under his belt, few players are as uniquely positioned to seamlessly walk into the Dolphins’ offense and provide at minimum competent quarterback play.
Perhaps the biggest question for the Rams is just how committed are they to having an experienced backup behind Stafford, as Los Angeles looks to mount a challenge to the 49ers in the NFC West, and how high an asking price could they seek from a team in as desperate a situation as the Dolphins find themselves in currently.
Easton Stick (Los Chargers Chargers Backup QB)
Now with three documented concussions already, there are rightfully legitimate questions about Tagovailoa’s quarterback future, and whether his best path forward is to step way from the game entirely and retire.
If there is any legitimate concern that Tagovailoa may never play again, Miami needs to take a long-term view of their next move at quarterback.
Stick, 28, could provide that.
Last season in Los Angeles, where he’s worked in the same quarterback room not only as starter Justin Herbert but also spent a season with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who emphasizes similar motion concepts as McDaniel. Stick’s limited production, 1,129 passing yards with three career touchdowns to one interception make him a bit of an unknown, but given his potential upside combined with the Chargers’ future with Herbert, pursuing a trade may be beneficial for both sides.
