The Dolphins’ unfolding quarterback crisis may push Miami to do something drastic in search of a pivot from Tua Tagovailoa this offseason
Expect the speculation to continue in the months ahead for the Miami Dolphins.
Do you remember when the NFL trade deadline came and went, and the Miami Dolphins, generally speaking, stood pat? Yes, the Dolphins shipped EDGE defender Jaelan Phillips out to Philadelphia for an extra 2026 third-round draft choice, but there were all kinds of rumors whipping around about what Miami was considering with WR Jaylen Waddle, RB De’Von Achane, and others. None of that came to materialize.
I hope you’re ready for another few months of the same speculation!
The Dolphins are in a nasty, nasty spot. The team’s quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, has regressed this season and was benched. And he’s owed $54 million fully guaranteed compensation next season, which it seems won’t be a deterrent from Miami moving on this offseason, one way or another.
And as the Dolphins try to navigate these troubled waters with a new general manager in place, it may come at the expense of some of their other prime talent.
Dolphins’ best way out of the quarterback darkness may be a drastic move featuring young talent already on the roster
The Dolphins have a fair amount of 2026 NFL Draft capital at their disposal. They’ve got what is currently a top-10 draft choice, a second-round pick in the top-45, and three third-round draft choices between 75th and 86th overall. Miami could also receive a compensatory fourth-round pick for losing Jevon Holland in free agency last offseason.
If defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver gets a head coaching gig, the Dolphins would receive a pair of compensatory third-round picks via the league’s diversity hiring initiatives.
But in a slim quarterback class, the Dolphins are outgunned by teams like the Raiders, the Jets, the Cardinals, and the Browns. The Raiders are one of two teams with two losses and would pick No. 2 if the draft were today. The Jets own five first-round picks over the next two seasons; the world is their oyster. The Browns also have surplus draft capital courtesy of their trade back and out of the Travis Hunter pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
NFL super agent Drew Rosenhaus recently speculated that he “expects” the Dolphins to explore trading up in the 2026 NFL Draft for a quarterback solution during a recent appearance on WSVN Fox 7. The most likely package Miami could create to entice a team would involve draft picks and a well-established NFL talent with a cost-effective contract.
Miami Dolphins players under contract in 2026 were subject to trade rumors at 2025 deadline
- WR Jaylen Waddle
- RB De’Von Achane
- SAF Minkah Fitzpatrick
- EDGE Bradley Chubb
Names that would qualify would, you guessed it, include WR Jaylen Waddle and RB De’Von Achane. Achane is entering into the final year of his rookie contract in 2026, whereas Waddle is locked in on a contract extension and ranks 19th in the league in cash owed to him in 2026.
The Dolphins must decide first and foremost this offseason what their most realistic pathway is to securing their next quarterback. Do they want to try the reclamation quarterback route first and test drive it for a year to see how things go?
A big splash, like the one Rosenhaus is alluding to, would be a tough sell if you bring back Mike McDaniel as the head coach in 2026 for no other reason than the Dolphins would be hypothetically pairing a quarterback with exceptional resources tied to him with a coach that could be a lame duck by the end of that quarterback’s rookie season.
The Giants swung the bat in these very circumstances for Jaxson Dart in 2025, but that move came at the end of the first round for a significantly reduced cost, rather than potentially leaping to the top of the NFL Draft. New York’s Brian Daboll, of course, has already lost his job.
So expect plenty of speculation in the months ahead about both players, at least until the Dolphins pick a lane. Their futures in Miami survived a highly speculative trade deadline last month. But as the timeline for Miami getting back into the quarterback pool has rapidly accelerated, it could spur the Dolphins to get creative with their resources to close the gap if they fall in love with a quarterback like Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
Buckle up. It will be a wild ride this offseason. And we’re only two weeks away from kickoff.
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