Breaking Down Veteran QB Options for Dolphins if They Move on From Tua

In case you’re living under a rock, the Miami Dolphins benched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in favor of seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers Wednesday.

That means Tua’s time in Miami might be up, despite his contract making that easier said than done. If the Dolphins move on from Tagovailoa this offseason, the team should bring in a replacement via free agency or an offseason trade.

To cover as many options as possible, we’ve broken each of the options into different categories: Veteran free agents, trades for starters, trades for backups, and high-upside wild cards. In each section, we’ll define the category, outline the options, and provide feedback on the options we prefer.

Let’s get into it.

Dolphins QB Options if They Move on From Tua

Veteran Free Agents

This group is reserved for players who have started elsewhere and are on expiring contracts. All of these players will be unrestricted free agents.

Potential Options: Daniel Jones (Colts), Russell Wilson (Giants), Marcus Mariota (Commanders), Tyrod Taylor (Jets), Joe Flacco (Bengals), Jimmy Garoppolo (Rams)

This isn’t exactly an inspiring group, is it?

The best quarterback on this list is probably Daniel Jones, and he’s coming off a torn Achilles tendon, while already having a long injury history. With that in mind, our favorite option in this category is probably Marcus Mariota.

The former No. 2 overall pick has substantial starting experience with the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders. He’s appeared in 10 games this season, throwing for 1,600 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Miami got a look at him back in Week 12, and he played reasonably well in that game. The draw with Mariota is that he’s got a little bit more mobility than someone like Tua. He’s not the athlete he was at Oregon, but he can create a little bit still.

Mariota, and any player from this category, would only be a stopgap option. There’s really zero upside with any of these players, but pairing a passer from this category with multiple young players could make some sense.

Trades for Starters

This category is reserved for players still under contract and have generally been regarded as starters for the past couple of years.

Potential Options: Kyler Murray (Cardinals), Geno Smith (Raiders)

Frankly, of all the categories, this one is our least favorite.

The money involved with acquiring these players would be suboptimal, and neither has played well this season. Murray’s contract would definitely be worse, and he’s got an extensive injury history to deal with.

Smith is more tradeable, but he’s regressed heavily after some solid years with the Seattle Seahawks. The Dolphins should be interested only if either player is cut and their former team covers the contract, as the Broncos did with Russell Wilson when he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Otherwise, Miami should steer clear.

Trades for Backups

This category is for players who are under contract next season, but are firmly backups on their current team.

Potential Options: Mac Jones (49ers), Davis Mills (Texans), Tanner McKee (Eagles), Spencer Rattler (Saints)

This category includes some risk but also more upside. Miami would have to give up some draft capital in a trade for any of these passers, but there is at least a path to each of these guys becoming a long-term option.

Mac Jones played well (relatively speaking) in relief of Brock Purdy this season, and if Mike McDaniel remains the head coach, Jones' transition to the scheme would certainly be much easier.

Jones would fall into the QB reclamation trend that we’ve seen in recent years with players like Sam Darnold, Geno Smith and Daniel Jones.

Davis Mills has extensive experience as a former starter-turned-backup for the Texans. Mills was 3-1 in his starts this season, throwing for 879 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception.

He’s got solid enough physical tools, and the last time he was the starter, Houston was basically tanking. Mills looked better with an improved supporting cast in 2025.

Tanner McKee is on this list just for the sake of thoroughness — the Dolphins should target someone with more starting experience. Still, McKee’s limited regular season tape is at least interesting.

Lastly, we get to Spencer Rattler. The New Orleans Saints drafted Tyler Shough in the second round last year, and he looks firmly entrenched as the team’s starter. Rattler’s numbers don’t look great, but the film shows a tough, talented passer with starter-caliber traits.

New Orleans might not want to move him, and that’s fair, but perhaps getting more picks would be appealing to them to compete in a bad NFC South.

Overall, our favorite option is probably Mills or Rattler. It would be a surprise if any of these players get moved, but the Dolphins should at least explore it.

High-Upside Wild Cards

This category is for passers who are younger and are more boom-or-bust than anything else. Some of these players will be free agents, and others will require a trade.

Potential Options: Malik Willis (Packers, Free Agent), Trey Lance (Chargers, Free Agent), Anthony Richardson (Colts, Trade), Will Levis (Titans, Trade)

I probably could have called this category the “former draft busts” category, but that felt a little mean.

However, one player I would argue doesn’t fall into that category is Malik Willis. He was a third-round pick and has played pretty well since joining the Green Bay Packers after flaming out in Tennessee.

Willis had at least 15 dropbacks in three games last season (two starts), and he completed 76 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and zero turnovers. The Packers built the whole offseason out of easy reads and the QB-run game, but Willis’ mobility and arm talent are impressive.

Trey Lance hasn’t played meaningful football since Week 18 of last season, has an extensive injury history, and still needs to be developed quite a bit. However, his traits remain undeniable and worth betting on as a QB3 on a cheap contract.

Anthony Richardson and Will Levis are both busts from the 2023 NFL draft and share similar strengths and weaknesses. Both are strong-armed, mobile QBs who struggle with accuracy and have injury histories.

If Levis and/or Richardson get cut, they’re worth exploring, but if it requires draft capital to get them away from their teams, we’d actually prefer a short-term deal for someone like Willis.

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