With a split with veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick feeling all but inevitable, the Miami Dolphins coaching staff must ask themselves what it is that they desire in a backup quarterback. This is another chance to bring competition into the room — but more importantly it is a chance to potentially offer another experienced eye for Tua Tagovailoa to continue to learn the game from and see the game through a different lens.
What matters the most?
A certain readiness to play should be something Miami desires — having a rookie quarterback to sit behind a second-year player doesn’t help Miami’s odds to surviving an injury to Tagovailoa in 2021. And, like it or not, Tagvailoa has yet to prove himself as a durable NFL player who can play through a full 16-game schedule.
So someone who can take snaps in a pinch should be something the Dolphins are interested in. That would qualify veterans like Tyrod Taylor, Colt McCoy, Andy Dalton, Brian Hoyer and so on.
But this is where things get complicated for Miami — as with the current cap situation the team likely isn’t keen on paying out a significant amount of money on a backup quarterback. So the Dolphins’ search will likely eliminate the likes of Dalton, plus other quarterback free agents like Mitchell Trubisky (who might ideally be a good backup from a talent and athleticism perspective as a backup, but will cost too much and likely aspire to be an unquestioned starter).
Taylor feels like the kind of unassuming backup who will command the respect of teammates and has had plenty of experience serving as a mentor for young quarterbacks in his career — and would allow the Dolphins to thread the needle between overpaying for a backup quarterback but also having a backup quarterback in your possession capable both mentally and physically of taking snaps in an emergency if needed.
Free agency opens two weeks from Wednesday, so this is an issue the Dolphins very well may have clarity on in the coming days.