The Miami Dolphins have lost their starting quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, until at least Week 8 with yet another concussion. The team tried starting backup Skylar Thompson in relief of Tagovailoa, but that didn’t last long as Thompson was knocked out of last week’s game with a chest injury. Now, the Dolphins will have their third starting quarterback in as many weeks, as Tyler Huntley takes the stage on Monday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans.
There’s currently no timetable for Tagovailoa’s return, but the 26-year-old quarterback has said that he has no intention of retiring and plans to return to the Dolphins this season. For their part, the Dolphins have stated they aren’t looking to make any trades to bring in a quarterback at this time. Yet that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from being on fire with potential trades and free agent signings the Dolphins could make in Tagovailoa’s absence.
A lot of those rumors center around the Pittsburgh Steelers and their presumed starter Russell Wilson, who has yet to take the field this season due to injury. However, another hot name for the Dolphins comes from the free agent market, and it’s one Dolphins fans know all too well: Former Dolphins starter Ryan Tannehill.
Tannehill has been heavily rumored for the Dolphins, and the latest in this charge comes from Bleacher Report NFL analyst Kristopher Knox. Knox recently examined the top veterans still available in free agency who could have impacts if signed. Tannehill is clearly the top name at the position still on the market, but he’s still available for a reason. Tannehill has made it clear he doesn’t plan to sign unless he’s given a chance to start for the remainder of the season.
He presumably hasn’t gotten an offer like that from anyone as of right now, and he’s not likely to get that offer from the Dolphins, either. Tannehill had a rocky tenure with the Dolphins, and he was shown the door after the 2018 season, his sixth with the team. Tannehill had a bounce-back season with the Titans the following year, and put up some good numbers in Tennessee until the youth movement kicked in and he was ultimately replaced by Will Levis.
The Dolphins, both through their actions in the offseason and in dealing with Tagovailoa’s current situation, have made it abundantly clear that they still believe in him and still plan on him being the team’s quarterback going forward. As much as some may believe it would be best to move on and hit the reset button once again, that simply isn’t happening anytime soon.
