The Miami Dolphins’ 2020 NFL Draft class, even if the team manages to strike a number of deals to move up the draft board, is going to be bigger than your average draft class. Miami is currently slated to make twice the average number of selections (14) and the team is stocked to the brim with picks — but also with needs. The most pressing, of course, is the quarterback position, where Miami’s search for the heir to Dan Marino continues after two decades of bad to average play behind center.
Could (or should) the Dolphins consider taking advantage of the depth of their draft class to double dip at the quarterback position with a late pick in addition to whatever direction they choose to go at the top of the draft? If the team had not invested in 2018 1st-round pick Josh Rosen last April, the answer would unequivocally be yes. The Dolphins have to get this position right — by any means necessary. One of the last times the league saw a high profile double dip at quarterback, the Washington Redskins bet high on Robert Griffin III and eventually spawned the career of Kirk Cousins, who is now a very rich man for a playoff contender in Minnesota.
But for Miami to make such a move would effectively signal the end of Josh Rosen in Miami. That feels inevitable either way after a hard flop in 2019 — but the double dip in the draft would make Rosen’s demise more official and less of a presumption. That looms as a potential problem for the Dolphins, mainly in any efforts the team would take to recoup some value for Rosen in a trade this offseason or beyond. The Dolphins will definitely have three quarterbacks on their roster — Ryan Fitzpatrick, Rosen and whichever rookie they choose to bet high on.
But adding a fourth passer to the mix creates a numbers game that would rob the Dolphins of any lingering leverage they may have over quarterback hungry teams that would want to roll the dice on Rosen for themselves. So if Miami wants to double dip at quarterback, they need to be prepared for that side effect. But with that said, Miami needs to get this position sorted out, even if it comes at some collateral damage to a backup.
After all, it’s better to admit past mistakes and move on than to cling to them for longer than you have to and further complicate the problem. If Miami finds themselves on the clock with a second quarterback they like on the board (on the draft’s third day, anything else would feel like overkill), they should swing away.