The Miami Dolphins are sitting in a strange spot. They, despite picking 5th in the 2020 NFL Draft order, are considered to be in the driver’s seat for the second quarterback to be drafted in April’s draft. No, they can’t stop the Bengals from drafting Joe Burrow — but the Redskins, Lions and Giants are all considered to be out of the quarterback market despite their posturing and hopes of coaxing out big commitments from Miami or another quarterback hungry team.
It hasn’t happened.
But we haven’t reached the finish line yet — and if the Dolphins do end up getting jumped in the race for a quarterback, it might not end up being a usual suspect who makes the jump. The Los Angeles Chargers traded away OT Russell Okung, which gives the impression they’re like to draft an offensive tackle at 6. The Carolina Panthers may be a team to watch, but this team is gearing up for a rebuild and is more likely to trade back and pick up more picks at this point than they are to jump up and go all-in for a quarterback.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are interested in passing off Nick Foles — but their cap situation commands them to do so, as does the emergence of Gardner Minshew. They’re unlikely to be players to trade up.
That leaves one sneaky team on the horizon who could make a splash: the Las Vegas Raiders.
This team has been flirting with Tom Brady all offseason — what if the Raiders were able to sign him and ultimately trade QB Derek Carr for a bunch of picks before the 2020 Draft? The Raiders already own two 1st-round picks in this year’s NFL Draft — the 12th and 19th selections. The Raiders, under the direction of Jon Gruden and under the watch of Mark Davis, are sure to look for a splash play in their first year in Las Vegas, too.
With Gruden currently working on a 10-year contract, there’s enough long-term stability here for Gruden to bring in Tom Brady and then groom a 2020 quarterback behind him for two seasons before making the swap, too.
So with that in mind, Dolphins fans, proceed with caution. The Raiders are quietly a threat to your choice of quarterbacks not named Joe Burrow.
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