Brian Flores continues to give Belichick-style answer to Dolphins quarterback situation

It’s all he can really say about the situation, but Dolphins head coach Brian Flores continues to “commit” to Tua Tagovailoa as the team’s quarterback.

Trade rumors attaching the Miami Dolphns to Deshaun Watson came back this week, with John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reporting a deal could be imminent. Since deadlines drive action, the Nov. 2 NFL trade deadline appears to be said deadline in this case. Otherwise, Watson will just continued to be on paid leave with the Texans.

The 1-5 Dolphins have lost five in a row, with the most recent loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London Week 6. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned from a rib injury for that game, and played fairly well (33-for-37, 329 yards, two touchdowns, one interception). But questions about him as the long-term answer under center for Miami will remain until further notice.

Brian Flores continues to give non-answer to quarterback question

Naturally, in the wake of re-ignited Watson rumors, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores was asked about the team’s quarterback situation at his Friday press conference.

Flores gave the same answer that Tagovailoa “is our quarterback” in early September, when Watson-to-the-Dolphins rumors were out there. The broken record approach is a clear channeling of his Patriots’ roots, and the way Bill Belichick would answer a question like that.

To be fair, it’s not like Flores can just come out and say “I (or we) love Deshaun Watson, and we’ll be trading for him between now and Nov. 2–the sooner the better, actually.” And if the Dolphins do trade for him before the deadline, Watson will be put on the commissioner’s exempt list faster than it just took me to type “commissioner’s exempt list.”

Tagovailoa will be the Dolphins quarterback until he’s not. That could be next month, Week 15, 2022 or well beyond that. And in reality, the outcome is only partially in his own hands via how well he does or doesn’t play.