For the foreseeable future, the Miami Dolphins will rise or fall based on the play of Ryan Tannehill. That was certainly the case this season as the quarterback failed to truly live up to the long-term contract extension inked prior to the year beginning that is set to pay him $96 million. With Tannehill still not hitting his stride four years into the league, will the Dolphins be forced to search for quarterback help in 2016?
The Dolphins were hoping that Tannehill would find his true rhythm this season. The Dolphins upgrade his wide receiver group drafting DeVante Parker and trading for Kenny Stills while adding Greg Jennings. That did not work. They draft Jay Ajayi to rotate with Lamar Miller and that did not work for the quarterback. Instead, the Dolphins will once again be cleaning out their lockers and in some sense that falls on the shoulders of Tannehill.
"I don't know," Tannehill said, via ESPN.com. "This year has been a crazy year for us for a lot of different reasons. It's tough to say."
Per Tannehill's contract, the Dolphins are committed to the quarterback for at least two more seasons. The $45 million in guaranteed money come in the first three years of the deal and after that he is owed nothing. That means Tannehill is going nowhere for the time being, but that does not mean the Dolphins will not add insurance behind him in case he fails to develop into a franchise star.
According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, it is very likely the Dolphins will scout quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft, but it remains to be seen how early they will select one. Salguero reports the Dolphins love Paxton Lynch out of Memphis who is quickly climbing the draft boards, but he could easily be the first player at his position taken and that would happen well before Miami makes a move for a quarterback. That could leave players like Connor Cook out of Michigan State of Cal star Jared Goff as options.
The Dolphins have a shot at being in the top five when it comes to the NFL Draft. The Dolphins must determine if they have lost enough games to draft a quarterback in the first round or if they should target another position first. Lynch could be gone in the first round. If Miami thinks he is the guy for the future, drafting him now could save the franchise a lot of headaches later on. They could take a similar path that the San Diego Chargers did when they selected Philip Rivers while still having Drew Brees on the roster.
Tannehill has yet to prove he is a player for the future. Stars like Jarvis Landry, Parker and Lamar Miller if he returns are key offensive pieces that will aid in whoever is under center. However, Tannehill has failed to take advantage of the weapons and now the Dolphins need to find someone who can.