Why the Dolphins Shouldn't Bother Drafting a QB in 2025

The Miami Dolphins need a proven commodity as the backup quarterback position, not a developmental prospect
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) prepares to throw the ball during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Week 3 of the 2024 season.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson (19) prepares to throw the ball during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in Week 3 of the 2024 season. / Kevin Ng-Imagn Images
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This idea of the Miami Dolphins selecting a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft might sound good on the surface, given Tua Tagovailoa's never-ending injury concerns and the lack of a quality backup this season, but is it really a good idea?

And we've heard this notion that teams should select a quarterback every year, the idea being that it's the most important position and it's worth that kind of attention. But is it really, though?

In addressing the backup quarterback spot, which is more important in Miami than other places because of Tagovailoa's durability concerns, GM Chris Grier said during the after-the-season press conference that the team would explore every avenue to upgrade the position, including the draft.

It was what anyone should have expected any GM to say.

So when we hear about Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe or Will Howard and how the Dolphins maybe should consider taking one of those second-tier QB prospects (behind top guys Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders), it says here that idea just doesn't make much sense.

Says who? Says the Dolphins' current situation and the reality of drafting quarterbacks.

DOLPHINS ARE IN WIN-NOW MODE

The first reason the idea of drafting a quarterback isn't as logical as it appears on the surface is that the Dolphins will have Tagovailoa as their starting quarterback for the next two seasons at least because of the guaranteed money he's got coming his way (and because his performance overall has been pretty good).

Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel also need to win — as in, get back to the playoffs at a minimum and maybe win a playoff game — to secure still being in Miami after the 2025 season based on the assumption that owner Stephen Ross won't put up with another disappointing year. That means Grier and McDaniel aren't likely to waste a draft pick on a quarterback projected as a future starter.

This would be the case regardless, but it's particularly so given all the needs the Dolphins have throughout their roster.

Sure, the Dolphins will have the benefit of 10 draft picks in 2025, but again they need a lot of help.

THE DRAFT AND QUARTERBACKS

If the Dolphins were to look for a potential future starting quarterback — or even a potential future starter — in the draft, the reality is those guys these days get selected in the first round or second round.

Again, the Dolphins don't have the luxury of spending a high pick on a player who won't contribute right away.

Of the 32 starting quarterbacks around the NFL in 2024, a whopping 27 were first- or second-round picks. The five exceptions: Russell Wilson (3rd round), Dak Prescott (4th), Kirk Cousins (4th), Gardner Minshew (6th) and Brock Purdy (7th).

Of those last five, only Minshew and Purdy were drafted after 2016, Minshew won't be a starter much longer and Purdy is simply an outlier.

The reality is franchise quarterbacks go in Round 1, sometimes Round 2, and teams just don't draft those players if they have a high-priced player at the position.

We certainly could point to the Kansas City Chiefs taking Patrick Mahomes in 2017 when Alex Smith was coming off a Pro Bowl season, but the Chiefs didn't have as much money committed to Smith as the Dolphins do to Tua, they didn't have as many holes on the roster, and they had a coach whose job security was solid.

One also could point to the Atlanta Falcons, who just last year selected Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick not long after giving Cousins a big two-year free agent deal, but the difference there was that the GM (Terry Fontenot) and coach (Raheem Morris) were on more solid footing.

And that was a massive exception to the rule.

BACKUP NEEDS TO BE PROVEN

Finally, for anyone who would suggest the Dolphins draft a quarterback to serve as the backup in 2025 with the possibility of developing into a future starter, we say no. Please no.

Again, if a quarterback gets selected in the third, fourth, fifth round — whatever it may be — there's a reason for that. And, barring few exceptions, this would not be somebody on whom the Dolphins should depend if Tagovailoa again has to miss some starts next season.

What the 2024 season proved more than anything is the need to have a dependable backup, and that means somebody who has started games before with some degree of success.

There will be plenty of veteran options on the market this offseason and the Dolphins just need to secure one of them, whether it be Andy Dalton, Jimmy Garoppolo, Marcus Mariota, Joe Flacco or Carson Wentz.

It can't be a rookie late-round pick, like the Dolphins were forced to do in 2022 after veteran backup Teddy Bridgewater was injured and Skylar Thompson stepped in.

From this vantage point, the biggest (and maybe only) reason to use a mid- to late-round pick on a backup is to find someone who in time can become a solid backup or take a shot at a developmental project with some unique physical traits. The perfect example of the latter was Joe Milton III, who went into the 2024 draft as a poor man's version of Josh Allen with his combination of size, mobility and arm strength.

Now, it's entirely possible that Milton will never pan out as an NFL quarterback because of deficiencies in other areas, but his skill set made him a worthwhile mid-round gamble last year and the Dolphins would have been better served by drafting him in the fifth round instead of taking linebacker Mohamed Kamara, who barely saw the field as a rookie despite injuries at the position and a need for pass-rushing help most of the season.

There doesn't appear to be that kind of prospect in this draft, and that means the Dolphins shouldn't worry about taking a quarterback in 2025 — unless it's to find a future backup, which should be low priority.

The reality is the team has bigger concerns.


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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.