How should the Dolphins approach their backup quarterback search?

Would you trust a rookie quarterback in a must-win season?

The Miami Dolphins signed Tua Tagovailoa to a four-year, $200 million extension last offseason, but the quarterback position is far from secure. The Dolphins have appeared in three playoff games over the last 15 years — two of those starts were by backup quarterbacks.

Finding one capable quarterback is hard enough, let alone finding both a starter and a backup. Miami’s lack of a reliable fallback played a large role in last season’s collapse. The Dolphins, with high-priced playmakers across the offense, failed to exceed 15 points in four of six games started by either Skylar Thompson or Snoop Huntley.

Urgency is building for a franchise entering its 25th-straight season without a playoff win, and the Dolphins must have a plan to move the football if Tagovailoa were to miss time, considering he’s played a complete 17-game regular season schedule just once in his five-year career.

“I prioritize people that are adept at passing,” coach Mike McDaniel said when asked about the backup quarterback position at the combine. “That’s my first – young, old – I think all things are on the table. There’s some guys that we’re pretty interested in in free agency, and there’s guys in the draft as well.

“So I think both avenues afford us an opportunity to improve the room at that position, which I think was pretty obvious, it’s on everybody’s tip of the tongue that needs to be a focus of ours and it is.”

McDaniel’s comments aren’t surprising after last season’s struggles, but it’s hard to imagine the Dolphins enduring a rookie quarterback’s growing pains in a prove-it year for the coaching staff and front office. Not only would this be a rookie quarterback, but with holes across the board, this would likely be a day two or three pick.

This isn’t to say the Dolphins shouldn’t invest in a rookie quarterback on day two or three of the draft, but the franchise’s failures with Tagovailoa out of the lineup only help the case for an experienced backup.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter linked former Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota to Miami, and there’s a large pool of quarterbacks, including Taylor Heinicke, Jameis Winston, Carson Wentz, Zach Wilson, and many more soon to hit free agency. All these quarterbacks have flaws, but they wouldn’t be available in free agency otherwise.

The Dolphins don’t need a backup who can throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns every game—those quarterbacks simply aren’t available. Still, the offense must improve beyond 14 points per game when Tagovailoa is out, and a proven backup may be the safest solution.