Miami’s March for Arch is over—but not because of the Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins may end up with the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft — but it’s time to let go of one long-brewing dream in case they do.
Well, I hope you guys didn’t buy t-shirts. When the Miami Dolphins committed to resetting their football operation last winter, there was one name that persistent arose in the conversation. “Manning”.
The dream of many was for the Miami Dolphins to play at a level that aligned them to draft the latest Manning quarterback to arrive at the NFL’s doorstep. That, of course, would be Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning. But now, with Miami on their Week 6 bye, it’s time to kiss the Arch Manning dream goodbye. And not for anything Miami or their players have done, either.
The ‘March For Arch’ is over — and not because of the Miami Dolphins
The 2026 Arch Manning experience has been an exhausting one to watch every week. Bright flashes amid some truly baffling issues with execution. And decision making. And ball security. You name it, it’s been a problem for Manning in stretches of this season. That includes in the frenetic comeback win against Ohio State, where Manning bypassed receivers to take off with his legs and play outside of structure in order to play faster. Or, alternatively, the following week against UTSA. There, we saw Manning complete 50% of his passes for 161 yards, seemingly shaken after taking a booming hit as a runner.
The last two weeks have been fitting for the Halloween season. It’s been a horror show. Manning threw two fourth quarter interceptions in the Red River Rivalry, helping contribute to a 27-24 loss to Oklahoma last week. And yesterday? 10 points on offense and a blown 17-3 lead that fell apart for good with, you guessed it, another Manning turnover in the fourth quarter.
The ‘March for Arch’ is over. He’s not ready. And certainly not playing like a top pick.
Thank goodness, if we’re being honest. The last time the Miami Dolphins set about a new build and began the process with the end in mind, they drafted QB Tua Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick. Perhaps we should just let the process play out this time without obsessing over a single name?
This is, of course, not to say that Miami will be out of the quarterback market this spring. I think they should be either way — be it with an early pick if the right player is there or with a Day 2 option if Malik Willis’ play helps take some of the pressure off over the final 12 weeks. But it shouldn’t be Manning. His play is too erratic to be a top pick, let alone the perceived savior of this franchise.
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