Should Brendan Sorsby enter the NFL’s Supplemental Draft this summer, the Miami Dolphins should ABSOLUTELY file a bid
The NCAA has denied QB Brendan Sorsby’s appeal for eligibility. The Miami Dolphins should absolutely be paying attention.
The Miami Dolphins would like to believe they’re already identified and secured their answer at the quarterback position. The team pivoted off of Tua Tagovailoa just weeks after securing a new general manager and a new head coach — transitioning to an ambitious but measured bet on former Packer Malik Willis.
But until we get proof of concept and a true body of work for Willis in Miami, we don’t really know for sure. And, accordingly, the team can’t consider the search over until it’s proven otherwise. Which brings us to Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. Sorby, who is mired in a dispute with the NCAA over a reported gambling addiction, is running out of options to retain eligibility as a result. It has been reported that Texas Tech’s appeal on Sorsby’s behalf to the NCAA was denied on Friday.
That leaves the NFL’s Supplemental Draft looking more likely than ever for the signal caller this summer. And the Miami Dolphins should absolutely be ready to place a bid if he indeed makes the leap. But…with a catch.
The Miami Dolphins should absolutely place a claim for QB Brendan Sorsby if he enters the Supplemental Draft — with a catch
Consider this the next test of the Miami Dolphins’ self-admitted quarterback philosophy. General manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said back in January that the Miami Dolphins are going to continue investing in quarterbacks. The objective, especially right now, is to take cost-effective swings at high upside starters. Willis was a cost-effective swing because the annual average salary he signed for was 50% of the top of the quarterback market. That’s essentially a discount.
Sorsby has plenty of physical ability and potential — although the gambling revelation makes him a risky bet. If someone is going to be offering a first or second round draft selection for him in the 2026 Supplemental Draft, more power to them. That shouldn’t be the Dolphins’ play.
But they should place a cost effective bid. Absolutely. A fourth or fifth round submission in the Supplemental Draft (which is essentially the NFL’s version of a silent auction) may not be a high bid when it is all said and done. But what if everyone’s concerns about the gambling addiction and the subsequent risks are all the same? To not place a bid in assumption that the price you’re comfortable with won’t win is negligence.
So let me be clear. I don’t think the Dolphins should recklessly bid on Sorsby if he enters in the NFL’s Supplemental Draft. But I do think they need to place a bid, just in case. Because the appeal on film is apparent. The physical gifts are that of an NFL starter. And while we’d all like to believe the Miami Dolphins have found their quarterback of the future in Malik Willis (for the sake of convenience), we don’t know for sure. If you’re unsure of the idea, let Jon-Eric Sullivan’s words do the talking, not mine.
Jon-Eric Sullivan’s philosophy on quarterback investment should be relevant here
“The quarterback position is the most important position in sports…we’re going to invest in that position every year if we can. Now depending on where we are as a football team, it’ll be at different values, but we will draft quarterbacks every year, if not every other year because I think you have to. If you hit on a guy, great. And if not – if you hit on two, you have trade value.
Again, I think if you look at the history of the Green Bay Packers all the way back to Ron Wolf – I mean, Brett Favre’s backups were Matt Hasselbeck, Kurt Warner, Aaron Brooks, Ty Detmer, you can go on down the line. I can’t say enough about the importance of it and we’ll be very active in acquiring quarterbacks to make sure that that room is deep, as deep as we can make it.”
Jon-Eric Sullivan
Miami Dolphins General Manager
The quarterback room, as constructed, can be deeper. And as Sullivan points out, the position of the football team can dictate different values of investing at a quarterback.
Personally, amid the backdrop of Willis’ potential, the team’s need to sustain draft infrastructure, and the risks involved with Sorsby’s reported gambling behavior? I wouldn’t feel comfortable bidding higher than a fourth or fifth round draft selection for his services. A first or second round pick would be a non-starter, in my opinion.
Hypothetically, bidding a mid-round pick in the Supplemental Draft on Sorsby wouldn’t guarantee to land him. The addition of Willis this offseason makes that a digestible proposition. But without a firm handle of what exactly Willis will be, there is a hard to swallow outcome here for the Dolphins. It would be not placing a bid altogether. Bid responsibly, Miami. If you don’t get him, so be it. But if the opportunity presents itself, make the play and see what happens.
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