Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald breaks down the Miami Dolphins offseason options for their quarterback postion.
Salguero has repeatedly reported that Peyton Manning sits atop the team’s priority list but there are two obvious factors that need to be addressed before he can be seen as a plausible option for the Dolphins. First, he needs to be released by the Colts and second, he has to prove that he’s healthy enough to be an effective quarterback in 2012.
Matt Moore is strong candidate to be brought back for another season after playing very well down the stretch for Miami.
If something happens that prevents Manning from becoming available, Salguero sees Packers QB Matt Flynn as the best option.
“The fact is Flynn will come with a starter’s price tag and not a lot of certainty,” writes Salguero. “But he comes with more certainty than any possible draft pick not named Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III.”
Obviously, the hiring of Joe Philbin can’t hurt his chances of landing in Miami. Salguero even mentions that signing Donald Driver could a good move for them considering his familiarity Philbin and the leadership that he could bring to the Dolphins.
Draft Options
Salguero isn’t sold on the idea of taking Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the first-round but instead suggests using the pick to address other needs and possibly taking someone in the second-round like OSU QB Brandon Weeden.
We actually have Miami drafting Arizona State QB Brock Osweiler in the third-round of our most recent 2012 NFL Mock Draft.
As for Weeden, I can’t see a team using a second-round pick on a guy that will be 29 at the start of next season if they already have an alternative option in place. Basically, you’re not going to draft someone that’s almost 30 with the intention of not playing him right away. Several scouts believe that Weeden is in fact ready start, much like Andy Dalton was last season. If you’re going to take him, then have to be willing to use him in the immediate future which the Dolphins could actually do depending on what happens in free agency.
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Is anyone else really looking at Moore as a Starter? Why wouldn’t Miami bring him back on a one year deal regardless? He proved last year he can definitely spot start for any team, but I don’t know if I would trust him to be the fulltime starter..