The Facts: When Adam Gase took over as coach of the Dolphins back in 2016, one of the first messages he sent was that he and his staff were committed to Tannehill. New coach Brian Flores has taken a different approach, being noncommittal to Tannehill, the franchise’s starting quarterback since 2012. Flores’ offensive staff tap-danced around Tannehill’s future with the franchise on Friday, hinting that he likely won’t be around in 2019. “The most important thing for our quarterback moving forward, whoever that is, we want great traits in that player,” new OC Chad O’Shea said on Friday.
Diehards Line:“Whoever that is” clarifies that Miami is exploring their options, and positioning the franchise to move on from Tannehill, who could either be traded or released in the coming weeks or months. The Dolphins have invested seven seasons developing Tannehill, and the result has been a 42-46 record and a quarterback who threw for 1,979 yards and 17 touchdowns, completing 64.2 percent of his passes to produce a 92.7 passer rating in the 11 games he played last season. However, Tannehill, who has a cumulative passer rating of 87.0, consistently struggles on third downs, and those struggles have stifled the Dolphins’ offense for the six seasons he’s started, no matter who was the team’s offensive play caller. According to Sun-Sentinel staffer Omar Kelly, at this point, players from last year’s Dolphins team have privately expressed their belief that it’s time for the franchise to move on and start fresh with a younger quarterback who has more upside. Even General Manager Chris Grier, who was given final say in the organization this offseason by owner Steve Ross, was non-committal on Tannehill’s future with the franchise, saying he’d wait to hear from Miami’s new coaching staff. ... If the Dolphins decide to move on from Tannehill, who turns 31 in July, the franchise will either trade him, likely for a low-round pick, or release him, possible in March or before the 2019 NFL draft. If Miami can’t trade Tannehill, he’ll likely be released, which would clear $18.75 million in cap space if he’s designated as a June 1 cut. If the Dolphins move on from Tannehill, they’ll either have to sign a veteran to replace him, select a quarterback in the early rounds of the 2019 draft, or use Luke Falk, a 2018 sixth-round pick Miami claimed off the waiver wire last season, or Jake Rudolph, a former St. Thomas Aquinas standout who was signed last month, to serve as the team’s starters. Brock Osweiler and David Fales, two journeymen quarterback who were on Miami’s roster last season, are unrestricted free agents. Their future with the Dolphins remains unclear. ... Stay tuned.