The Miami Dolphins are going nowhere fast, and dealing Ryan Tannehill would be a great way to jumpstart a rebuild on South Beach.
Ryan Tannehill is a better quarterback than you think. He also happens to play for a team on a treadmill to oblivion, a fair way to describe the Miami Dolphins since Dan Marino’s retirement.
After missing all of the 2017 season with a torn ACL, the 29-year-old should be medically ready to play come OTAs and mini camp. However, it sounds like Miami is getting ready for life after Tannehill, considering the buzz around the Dolphins and their fondness for Baker Mayfield.
With all that in mind, the time is right for both sides to part company. Tannehill gets a fresh start, and Miami gets to super-charge its rebuild.
With reports flying that the Dolphins are going to trade Jarvis Landry, what is the realistic hopes for the team this coming season? The New England Patriots are going to win the AFC East, putting Miami in a crowded group of mediocre AFC teams fighting for a wild card spot. Frankly, even that seems somewhat pie in the sky for the Dolphins.
Meanwhile, Tannehill is terrific trade bait. His contract runs through 2020 and pays him $60 million, a relative bargain in today’s climate. The deal also has just $6.9 million in dead money remaining, making it essentially a year-to-year proposition.
One would believe the Arizona Cardinals to be an obvious trade partner. The Cardinals are without a quarterback on their roster (Drew Stanton and Blaine Gabbert are free agents; Carson Palmer retired). Picking 17th in the first round, Arizona will be hard-pressed to get a top-end passer at that position, making Tannehill a smart play. Instead of trading up a dozen spots — if they even can — the Cardinals could save considerable draft capital and swap only a first-round choice for Tannehill.
In this scenario, the Dolphins would become the third team to have multiple first-round choices in April’s draft (Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns being the others), giving them the ammunition to trade up without sacrificing future picks.
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Additionally, Tannehill can play. Despite a revolving door in front of him and Landry as his only reliable target, the former Aggie averaged 250 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game from 2014-16. Those numbers aren’t prolific, but they represent a capable quarterback who can bridge the gap.
In Miami, Tannehill keeps the Dolphins from moving on at the position with a young gun, and also from bottoming out. Elsewhere, he could be what Alex Smith once was to the Kansas City Chiefs, getting them to the next step without sacrificing competent play in the present.
The Dolphins have to make tough choices this spring, and they ought to start by moving Tannehill … for everyone’s sake.