Tag Archive for: Tua Tagovailoa

Tankathon has Dolphins drafting twice in top-4

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We are now officially three weeks into the NFL season and according to Tankathon, the #Tankovailoa race is on!

After this weeks regular season games, there are now seven teams in the NFL without a win.  And although not all of those teams need a quarterback, there’s still plenty of competition for cant’-miss prospect Tua Tagovailoa.  After all, Tagovailoa is highly regarded as the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck in 2012.  He’s that good. However, he’s not the only QB in this year’s class that has the potential to change a NFL franchise.

You can keep track of all of this year’s QB prospects HERE

Currently, this is the way the 2020 NFL draft order looks.

Tankathon Version 3.0 Mock Draft

The last time we did one of these, the Dolphins only had two first-round draft picks.  Fortunately, Miami was able to move disgruntled DB Minkah Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh, in exchange for what appears to be a top-10 draft pick.  Yes, it is still very early in the 2019 season, but Pittsburgh is without Ben Roethlisberger and looks to be one of the more disappointing teams in the league.

But how does this mock draft favor the Dolphins?

Personally, I don’t like Georgia QB Jake Fromm and if Miami were to miss out on Tua and Herbert, the next logical choice is Utah State QB, Jordan Love.

Ohio State pass-rusher Chase Young might be the best player in the entire 2020 class.  And we know just how desperate the Dolphins are to find a generational pass-rusher.  Any offensive lineman in the first-round is a step in the right direction.

Most demoralizing of all of this, is that Adam Gase and the New York Jets out ‘tank’ the Dolphins – and end up with Tua Tagovailoa.

In the end, there’s plenty to like about Tankothon’s latest mock draft.  Just as long as Adam Gase and his googly eyes, don’t end up with the Tua Tagovailoa.

 

Dolphins send Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills to Texans in massive trade

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Laremy Tunsil seemed safe. It seemed like he was going to remain a member of the Miami Dolphins. Then the front office pulls the rug out from under everyone. The Houston Texans sent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney to the Seahawks. That should have been it. But then the Dolphins sent the Texans young star left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills. They also added a fourth round pick for 2020.

In return, Miami received a 2020 first round pick, a 2021 first round pick, a 2021 second round pick, cornerback Johnson Bademosi and offensive tackle Julién Davenport. With that, the Dolphins officially topped the massive trade that the Raiders pulled off, sending star defender Khalil Mack to the Bears last season. The compensation for the 25-year old tackle and a solid wide receiver is huge, and GM Chris Grier is undoubtedly satisfied with his work.

But this does mean that now, the offensive line is without its best player. Which means that in 2019, both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen may spend most of the season running for their lives.

The Future

As large as this trade is, it does send a message loud and clear to the fan base and the remaining players in the locker room. 2019 is not intended to win games. In spite of everything head coach Brian Flores is saying, winning is not something Miami expects to do a lot of. Not that they will ever admit it publicly. All attention now needs to be placed on the next two drafts. The Dolphins are in a prime position to earn the first overall pick and have their quarterback of choice. Then with that extra first rounder, there’s no telling what they could do.

But there’s one thing that needs to be said now. Grier has to make sure he hits on these next two drafts. Many are saying that the Dolphins are taking the path the Cleveland Browns took. That path was a long one, and even with all the picks they’ve had over the last several years, only now are they actually a good football team on paper. Most importantly, his next selected quarterback needs to be a superstar.

2019, more than ever, is going to be about development. Miami has a young core on defense. Undoubtedly, they will add more in the coming seasons. It’s the offense that needs a lot of work. Unless Michael Deiter, Shaq Calhoun and Isaiah Prince develop, the Dolphins will need to overhaul the line again. Wide receiver has Jakeem Grant and Preston Williams. There’s no telling whether Albert Wilson will return after 2020. Wide receiver will need investing. And what of Josh Rosen? Will he get a chance to prove himself? Or is this Arizona all over again and he’s merely trade fodder or backup material? 2019 may not provide the answer. 2020 might.

There might even be more draft picks coming for the rebuild, if the Dolphins trade Kiko Alonso as expected. Who knows what will come of that? All that can be done now is to monitor the situation closely.

Prepare for pain before the pleasure. Rebuilding is never a fun process, but if Miami gets it right, then the next several years after the storm could be glorious.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Josh Rosen

Josh Rosen taking role as Dolphins backup QB in stride

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Immediately after the end of the final preseason game on Thursday night, head coach Brian Flores announced that veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starting quarterback for the 2019 season. Young player Josh Rosen, who put together an impressive preseason and was acquired during the draft in exchange for a second round pick, now has to ride the bench until such a time as Flores deems him ready.

“I’ve said multiple times, I think he’s improved greatly over the course of training camp.” Flores said. “This is a young kid who works extremely hard. It is important to him. He’s talented, but playing quarterback in this league – it takes some time. He’s in a new offense, and I think he’ll get there. I do. I really do. That’s a conversation we had. I think he’ll get there at some point. When? I don’t know, and a lot of that’s up to him. He knows that. No knock on him, but he has worked extremely hard, but I think he will get there. This is a talented player. We’re excited about him.”

The logic seems simple. Let Rosen start, and if he shows he can handle the job, then the Dolphins don’t need to draft a quarterback in round one. But apparently, Miami has a different plan in mind for him.

Reaction from Josh Rosen

Any young player who gets told they won’t be starting is going to be disappointed. In Rosen’s case, he has a reputation dating back to college for not handling adversity well. According to Flores, however, things were different this time.

“They both handled it well. These are two of the most professional guys I have been around. They both handled it really well.” Flores said. “Obviously, ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) was excited. Josh was a little disappointed, but at the same time, he looked at me and said… well, I will keep that conversation between he and I.”

As for Rosen himself, he admits that he had a rough start to his Dolphins tenure.

“Coach (Flores) challenged me pretty early in training camp as I wasn’t playing very well because I was just sort of drinking water from a fire hose.” He said. “I think a lot of that had to do with focusing on my day-to-day and not trying to worry if Coach was looking or make sure I impress him here or this … I think it’s only time that this team is mine, but until then I’m going to be as supportive a backup as I can, and like I said, push him every single day.”

Josh Rosen taking this in stride is encouraging. One of the main criticisms Flores has for him is that his body language is not ideal. Strangely enough, however, Rosen may be disappointed, but he doesn’t seem that upset.

What’s next?

Development is still going to be priority number one for Rosen. After the debacle that was his rookie year, he’s trying to change his mentality towards his career.

“Last year everything kind of flipped pretty quickly.” He said. “They told me at the beginning of the year I was supposed to sit out and try and learn behind Sam (Bradford) and play that Year 2 and get ready to get, and that didn’t happen. I think any sort of projection of where my career should be is kind of irrelevant, or really difficult to pin down, I guess you could say at this point. That’s why I’m really focusing on what I can do day-to-day. In terms of my progression as a quarterback, I think I’m substantially better a quarterback now than I was three weeks ago and a way better quarterback than I was a year ago.”

His improvement is undeniable. The only real question at this point is this: will he improve fast enough to win the starting job in 2020? It’s almost guaranteed at this point that Miami will draft a quarterback in round one of the 2020 draft, which means the level of competition for him will be much higher than an aged veteran with an average ceiling. Maybe he’ll be traded again next offseason, or he’ll be forced to remain a backup. Or, he could become the starter after all.

Whatever the future holds for Josh Rosen, he’s taking it in stride and remaining focused on his own growth. How’s that for improved body language?

“On this progression, I think the future is pretty bright.” He said. “I’m excited. I wouldn’t say it’s a setback, but the temporary – it’s not even a hurdle to cross over; it’s part of the journey.”