The Miami Dolphins were optimistic that backup quarterback Tyler Huntley would show improvement between his first and second starts with the team. Although his statistics and a narrow 15-10 road victory over the struggling New England Patriots suggest limited progress, Huntley hasn’t yet fully integrated into the offense, leaving fans with Super Bowl aspirations feeling uneasy.
Miami heads into its bye week after the win in Foxborough, which provides Huntley with additional time to familiarize himself with the offensive scheme and utilize the speed of his teammates effectively. This break also gives Tua Tagovailoa an extra week to recover from the third confirmed concussion of his NFL career, sustained in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.
Overall, the Dolphins’ situation is improving compared to where it was a few games ago. They recently suffered a crushing home loss to the Tennessee Titans and Mason Rudolph, their backup quarterback. However, everything is relative, and things in South Florida are still not as good as they were during the peak of the Mike McDaniel offense, which was about a year ago — back then, the sky seemed to be the limit.
The Dolphins have about four weeks to assess Tagovailoa’s health and possibly make a move for a quarterback other than Huntley who can step in should Tagovailoa experience any setbacks in his recuperation process or sustain a new injury upon his as-yet-undetermined return. The league’s trade deadline is fast approaching on November 5. On Tuesday, October 8, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports recommended that Miami try to acquire Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback Trey Lance, who was formerly the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft.
“Tua Tagovailoa may return, but it feels irresponsible to trust he’ll stay upright and/or safe,” Benjamin said. “Coach Mike McDaniel was with the San Francisco 49ers when the dynamic but unpolished Lance was drafted high.” Lance never worked out well in the Bay Area; he trailed Jimmy Garoppolo for the whole of his rookie season and started just two games in Year 2 before breaking his ankle. After eventually suffering an injury of his own, Garoppolo returned to the game and was replaced by Brock Purdy. After leading San Francisco to two straight NFC Championship Games and a trip to the Super Bowl, Purdy got traded for a fourth-round pick and ended up in Dallas.
At just 24 years old, Lance is in the final year of his $34 million rookie contract, making his financial impact on a potential new team quite low, with a base salary just over $1 million this season. His trade cost is unlikely to exceed the fourth-round pick the Cowboys used to acquire him, and it might even be less. While the deal may not be a guaranteed success for Miami, it represents an opportunity to bring in a young quarterback with the skill set that led to him being selected in the top three by a successful San Francisco team known for its talent evaluation. Over his career, Lance has accumulated 797 passing yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions, along with 235 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on an average of 4.4 yards per carry.
Leave a Reply