The Miami Dolphins intend on giving Ryan Tannehill a long-term contract, but that does not mean he does not need to still prove he is worth it. Team vice president Mike Tannenbaum has made it clear that Tannehill is the quarterback of the future for the Dolphins, but in order for him to reach his potential, the team must surround him with better talent. The Dolphins subtracted more players on offense than they added and with the draft quickly approaching, getting another scoring threat is a priority.
"He checks a lot of boxes," Tannenbaum said, via the Miami Herald. "He's young. We drafted him. He's an incredibly hard worker. Football is really important to him. There's a lot of redeeming value there. When his contract gets done, we can't sit here and say with certainty. But we hope he's here for years to come."
Tannehill is going nowhere. The Dolphins have made it clear they are not one of the many teams pinning for Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota. Instead they are planning on battling it out for a top wide receiver in the draft to help Tannehill. The Herald reports that the most likely first-round draft pick for the Dolphins will be a wide receiver, it is just a matter of who the team can land. The Dolphins are not trading up in the draft, but they are still eyeing Amari Cooper, Kevin White and DeVante Parker as options. Parker is the likely pick if the Dolphins draft a receiver in the first round. Cooper could go as high as No. 2 with White following closely. Parker would be next up.
The Dolphins continue to sift through free agency prospects. The Dolphins announced they have signed LaRon Byrd to a contract after looking at Greg Jennings, Wes Welker and Michael Crabtree. Byrd is a rotation player at best. There is a chance that he might not even make the final roster, but right now the Dolphins need bodies heading into offseason workouts. Hakeem Nicks is still floating around and he would at least be an upgrade over Byrd and someone like Rishard Matthews.
Miami will select a wide receiver to help make up for getting rid of Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson and Charles Clay. Drafting someone like White or Parker would help be a nice pairing for Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills in a receiver trio for Tannehill.
