Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Examining Going the Cheaper Route at QB

Part 1 of a pre-combine weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Craig:

Looking at the potential in the 2027 QB class, I’d be waiting to draft my next QB. Bring in someone on a 10-year deal to compete with Ewers seems the best route to me. In a perfect world, who do the Dolphins draft at 11 in your opinion? Mine would be Downs.

Hey Craig, in a perfect world, maybe the Dolphins would be drafting Fernando Mendoza, no? As I wrote Friday, I’d like the Dolphins to go bigger if all prospects available are equal, so maybe my ideal scenario would be Francis Mauigoa or Reuben Bain Jr. or David Bailey or Spencer Fano. But I would have zero issue with Caleb Downs. Deputy Editor Dante Collinelli also offered his take on the best "realistic" options at 11.

From Matthew:

Alain, hypothetical and a lot of "ifs" involved. But if we could trade down the 11th pick once or twice, but end up with no 1st round pick but 2,3 2nds and say 4,5 3rd's, would you make those deals to get more players in, even though they're not first-rounders? Thanks as always.

Hey Matthew, as always, it takes two teams to make a trade. But, yes, if the Dolphins can accumulate more draft assets, I’m all for it because the Dolphins need volume. That said, I wouldn’t pass up a stud prospect if the Dolphins have that conviction on him, but again this should be more about quantity than quality for Miami.

From Mike:

Hello Alain, I haven’t seen or heard much about compensatory picks lately. How do the Dolphins stand, especially as it pertains to NWI? There was a lot of chatter regarding his playing time last year.

Hey Mike, the answer should be coming pretty shortly from the NFL because comp pick often are announced at the scouting combine. Per the latest projections from Over The Cap, the Dolphins will not be getting a compensatory pick because they ended up signing as many (4) compensatory free agents — the top, like 800, UFAs from last spring ranked by salary, playing time and postseason accolades — as they lost. And NWI wound up not being a compensatory free agent, per OTC, so him playing in the final games didn’t make a difference the way it stands right now.

From Dave Campbell:

Greetings Alain ! So it's time for the dreaded reset or rebuild depending on which word strikes your fancy. And, Captain Obvious here, starts with the QB. IMHO Miami needs a QB who doesn't need to stand on his toes to see over the line, built to take a hit and has an arm that can throw thru a Florida hurricane, blizzards in Buffalo & New England & sleet in New York. Now I know the Cap isn't real (insert eye roll), but Miami shouldn't get into a bidding war over Malik Willis, who doesn't fit that criteria. There has to be some lower-priced veteran QB that can get us thru this miserable season. I agree with you on Jimmy G & I will throw in Mariota, Wentz or insert name. Your thoughts? Always appreciate your time to answer questions & really enjoy both All Dolphins and Dolphins Collective podcasts plus all the great written work as well.

Thanks as always, Dave. Can’t disagree with anything you said there. I’d hate to see the Dolphins make a long-term commitment to Willis because of his very small body of work and I don’t see Miami getting involved in a bidding war, either. The question will be how strong of a conviction do Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley have about Willis come free agency time.

From Chris Shields:

Am I alone in thinking Sully & company need to not worry about positional needs in draft because there are so many holes that they truly need to stick to their board & focus on BPA? Just load up on good players. Only reach if there is a QB you absolutely love at some point. Thoughts?

Hey Chris, my thoughts are that I completely agree with you. The Dolphins have so many needs everywhere that they can’t miss by going for one position over another essentially.

From Olive Grove Jon:

Hi Alain. If the Fins want a QB before the draft, why not take a chance on Anthony Richardson? Still young with a rocket arm and great mobility. Sure, he needs coaching up, but wouldn’t a QB room of AR, QE and a vet be more cap-friendly and savvy than going all in on Malik Willis?

Hey OGJ, I like your idea based on the notion that Willis simply isn’t a proven thing. Richardson is the kind of athlete with the physical traits to explode if he can fine-tune his game and I do think he’s worth a shot provided the Dolphins don’t have to give the Indianapolis Colts too much in a trade. Willis very well might become a really good NFL QB and he certainly looked the part at the end of last season, but it’s impossible to overlook the fact he has started only six games.

From Mark@Merrymeeting:

Assuming Tua wants to play again, and assuming the Dolphins are better off financially keeping him and stashing away, has the discussion been had about Tua cutting a deal with the Fins to secure his release at a discount?

Hey Mark, not sure what you mean by a discount, but the idea that Tua would voluntarily accept a pay cut to make sure the Dolphins released him so he could try to find another starting job is basically unprecedented. Players just don’t give away they’re guaranteed to get.

From Jorge boyd:

Hi Alain, I don't see many OL or DL in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft. Who are some of the candidates to go on the first round for the Dolphins, including they trading back to acquire more picks if the talent is not there at 11?

Hey Jorge, the top names on the offensive line are Spencer Fano from Utah, Francis Mauigoa from Miami, Olaivavega Ioane from Penn State, Kadyn Proctor from Alabama, Max Iheanachor from Arizona State and Monroe Freeling from Georgia. They all could wind up being first-round picks.

From Brandon Quinn:

I actually like the Jimmy G idea. If we’re going traditional, trying to be an average squad and not a dumpster fire, he’s perfect.

But I have another solution, because I think it has upside, and if it falls apart, then we tanked with zero future cap implications but gave something unconventional: a shot. I want to acquire both Anthony Richardson and Justin Fields for next to nothing (don’t care who you start and who’s the backup, or if you scheme them to both play at once, or whatever.) And I want to run the ball down people’s throats. Why is this a terrible idea other than obvious (they both just lose games)?

Hey Brandon, I think it’s a terrible idea because you’d be giving up draft assets for two different players. That’s just overkill. I’m also not a Justin Fields fan. I am intrigued about what Richardson could look like if somebody or some team could unlock his game. As mentioned before, the physical traits are off the charts.