Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Addressing All Sorts of Tua Topics

What's the outlook for the offense with Skylar Thompson at quarterback? Who are some veterans the team should consider?

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) walks off the field with training staff after sustaining a concussion during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Part 1 of the post-Bills game Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Big Ern McDolphin (@dana_buice):

If Tua is out for an extended period of time and Skylar continues to perform poorly,  there are two QBs that have a history with McDaniel and this offense. Garoppolo and Matt Ryan. Would go after either make sense? If Tua is cleared medically and chooses not to play football anymore, how much money do the Dolphins owe him and how much money is counted against the cap in the future?

From Chris Shields (@shieldsc_):

First off, wish nothing but the best for Tua. Having said that, If Tua never plays again, how does that affect our salary cap moving forward?

Hey Dana and Chris, I think Jimmy Garoppolo would make an awful lot of sense in the event of an extended Tua absence, though he is playing with the Rams right now, so a trade would have to be consummated. And there’s also the issue of his lengthy injury history. I get the Matt Ryan connection, but his play slipped badly at the end of his career. As for Tua’s contract, this would get very complicated depending on whether he would be cleared and I honestly haven’t even dived yet into the cap ramifications.

From Jim Jackson (@joe59017):

Why didn't Grier, etc., have a backup plan. Should have taken a 3rd or 4th round QB both of last years. Besides the fact that he is good but not great. He shouldn't come back. Not worth it IMO.

Hey Jim, you should understand by now that the Dolphins were full go with Tua as their franchise quarterback, so the idea of investing a mid-round pick at the position wasn’t even on their radar. The Dolphins also were comfortable moving forward with Skylar Thompson and Mike White as their backups at quarterback, likely never envisioning the potential worst-case scenario that has materialized. And, lastly, I’m going to side with Mike McDaniel here and say that nobody should offer opinions as to what Tua should do with his career.

From Crypto And Aliens (@CryptoAndAliens):

Hypothetically, if the Dolphins lose every game between now and the bye, do they become sellers at the deadline? Which contracts could potentially be offloaded for draft capital?

Man, that’s being pretty pessimistic, no? The Dolphins play at Seattle, at home against Tennessee and at New England before their bye; are we really thinking they’re going 0-3 in those games? I don’t believe that for a second. But even if you’re right, no, I don’t believe they’re sellers at the deadline partly because they don’t have a lot of tradeable assets (because of the big contracts they’ve handed out).

From Eric Collings (@kahunacoug):

Alain, my friend what's the chance of Miami trading for Zach Wilson? Personally, I think as he has shown in Denver he's still a player with a lot of upside and talent. That was trapped in a bad organization, with bad coaching that eats young QBacks alive. We all saw how Rodgers did last week. maybe it wasn't Wilson as much as it was the Jets in general. I think Wilson’s style of play, arm talent and especially his mobility fit Mike McDaniel’s system perfectly. Let’s all pray for Tua.

Hey Eric, the biggest problem for Wilson in New York was pocket awareness and decision-making, and that doesn’t exactly mesh well with the Dolphins scheme. You also have to wonder why the Broncos would want to trade him after he showed major progress in training camp.

COULD DOLPHINS GET IN TRADING MODE?

From Leon Fresco (@FrescoLeon):

Is it time to salvage what you can salvage and have a fire sale at the trade deadline? Reboot for next year with as many picks as you can. Why do anything else if you are clearly no longer in contention?

Hey Leon, that’s a bridge the Dolphins would cross if they got to it, but the problem is their star players, the ones who would fetch good compensation, almost invariably got huge signing bonuses that create nasty cap hits if they’re moved. I just don’t know who else would create much interest around the league.

From Dave (@angryvet59):

It seems like teams have absolutely figured out how to defend against McDaniel’s offense. Can he go to the lab & create on the fly? Also, it looks like at least a 1-4 start if Tua is out some time. Long term looks worse. I'm only a fan but Thompson is a backup QB for a reason.

Hey Dave, sorry, but I refuse to assume a 1-4 record because the Dolphins didn’t have Tua and nobody else on their roster. And, yes, Thompson is a backup for a reason, but exactly how many teams have two starters at quarterbacks? That’s just not realistic. As for the offense, yes, I expect McDaniel to come up with some new wrinkles to combat defenses that can take away the deep pass, but even there I’m also not sure we should overreact to Buffalo shutting down the Dolphins offense.

From Olive Grove Jon (@Owlizee):

Hi Alain. First things first. I wish Tua a speedy recovery irrespective of football. Secondly, I don’t believe we can win with Skylar, so what do we do? Do we trade for a vet like Andy Dalton or trade for a young QB like Ridder or Sam Howell? I hope the season doesn’t fizzle out.

Hey OGJ, first off, when you talk about not winning with Skylar, do you mean “winning big” or merely winning any game because that’s a big difference. With all those ideas of acquiring backups with other teams, we’re always failing to realize it requires the other team to be willing to part with its backup. That means the Dolphins would have to badly overpay. And I don’t see Desmond Ridder as an upgrade over Thompson in the remotest and not sold Howell is one, either. The big question as far as what to do comes down to how much time Tua will miss.

From Ricardo Hernandez (@Ricardo96451182):

Hello, Alain. Being that the Dolphins aren’t going anywhere without dealing with their main division rival, was there any major extension / move / decision in the offseason that wasn’t invalidated by this Bills game?

Hey Ricardo, that’s a very good question because the offense being held to 10 points sure didn’t do a lot to justify the Tua/Hill/Waddle new contracts. Considering the Dolphins gave up less than 250 yards, Jalen Ramsey’s extension maybe looks better in the aftermath of that game, even if he was on the wrong end of the 33-yard completion to Ty Johnson.

From google (@googleeys):

Thanks Poup. Why is the media so focused on Tua’s concussions when players get multiple every year and you don’t hear a word. Example Derek Carr had three last year.

Part of the season is that Tua is a high-profile player and another is that two scariest-looking concussions he suffered both came in prime-time games with the whole nation watching. It's pretty much that simple.

From Greenview Construction (@CrispyChicken30):

If Tua misses a month, do the Fins have a chance to have a .500 record?

Absolutely. There’s still more than enough talent on this roster that the Dolphins will have a chance to beat any of their five opponents — Seattle, Tennessee, New England, Indianapolis and Arizona. If the Dolphins automatically becomes a .500 team because Tua is out, then that says the team didn’t plan properly for the possibility of a Tua injury.

From Mike (@okim0802):

To think of possibly starting over and going through another 3-5 year rebuild is depressing. What is one positive we can lean on going forward?

Hey Mike, the defense was solid in the first two games, and the offense still has big-time playmakers with Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane. Hill and Waddle aren’t going to get shut down often the way they were by the Bills, even with Thompson at quarterback.

TALKING TOM BRADY

From Zigmund (@zigmund_floyd):

Kick the tires on Tom if Tua can’t continue this year or ever? I feel like they’ve invested so much in a “win-now” mentality that a lost season would be a complete disaster, and detrimental to the future as far as top players wanting to stay/sign. Tua was a contributing factor.

Hey Zigmund, Tom who? Just kidding. If Tua does wind up having to miss a significant amount of time, yes, I do think the Dolphins do owe it to themselves to at the very least make a phone call to Tom Brady to gauge his interest level.

From manny diaz (@mannydiaz1385):

If Tua retires, how does his new contract affect the team & Ross? With contracts like Tua’s, would it be insured because of his injury history?

Hey Manny, yes, the Dolphins were able to purchase an insurance police that will pay them $49 million, according to Pro Football Talk.

From Matthew (@theMatthewPryor):

Two questions: If Tua was to retire, what's the deal with the salary cap for the next few years? And, secondly, what's the chances we finish 4th in the division now?

Hey Matthew, as I indicated before, I haven’t dived into the cap ramifications yet in the event Tua retires and won’t do so until/if that happens. The Dolphins will not finish fourth in the division. They’re still better than the Patriots no matter what.

From Yarom (@YaromFarias17):

If Tua does comes back but needs 4 weeks to do so, how many games will the Dolphins win?

Hey Yarom, I would guess the Dolphins would go 2-2 in their four games if that’s how long Tua is out. Those four games on the schedule are at Seattle, vs. Tennessee, at New England and at Indianapolis.

From Gavin Hatch (@Gavin_Hatch1):

Tom Brady an option? Do we tank the season if Tua decides to retire?

Hey Gavin, with all the money the Dolphins spent in the offseason, the idea of them tanking is simply not realistic. Not happening. Not a chance. They have way too many big-ticket players for that to happen. As for Brady, we’ve already discussed that idea.