Dolphins follow Tua Tagovailoa contract mistake with another stubbornly bad choice

After admittedly overlooking Tua Tagovailoa's extensive concussion history in contract negotiations, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier is ostensibly doubling down on his regrettable decision.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ($), Miami "doesn't seem likely" to scour the trade market for a viable Tagovailoa alternative. Backup quarterback Skylar Thompson looks incapable of keeping the ship afloat. Moreover, the latter suffered a chest injury in Week 3, putting the Dolphins in an even more challenging position. 

Despite everything, the Phins are 'not much into it at this time,' a source told Fowler regarding the team's external signal-caller search (or lack thereof).

As Fowler notes, Tagovailoa fully intends to play again in 2024 and is eligible to return from injured reserve as soon as Week 7. So, Miami doesn't want to make a "flashy move for a quarterback" and bear the "risk" that comes with it. Regardless, if the Dolphins' struggles sans the southpaw gunslinger over the years have taught us anything, investing more in his understudy would be wise.

Dolphins ignoring backup QB trade market after not factoring concussions into Tua Tagovailoa's contract

Since 2021, Tagovailoa has missed nine regular-season games. The Dolphins have gone 2-7 in those contests. Furthermore, Miami's scoring output drops from 24.9 points per outing to 16.3 when the 26-year-old isn't under center during this span.

With such a considerable dip in offensive production, you'd think Grier and the front office would prioritize having a capable No. 2 option. Instead, they're apparently content with their current situation and betting on the long-term health of their franchise passer.

While you could argue their choice to stand pat is a vote of confidence in Tagovailoa, Miami's unrelenting stubbornness may be their Achilles heel. Rather than bringing in a professional reserve, they settle for retreads and practice squad players like Thompson or veteran journeyman Tim Boyle. Perhaps their latest signing, Tyler "Snoop" Huntley, could solve their problem(s). However, we'd bet against that, given that the Phins are his third landing spot in less than a month.

Ideally, for the Dolphins, Tagovailoa and his family, the concerning and well-chronicled head injuries come to a screeching halt. Nonetheless, Miami should put more thought into adding depth behind him.