What Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan Revealed About Team's QB Plan

The Miami Dolphins held their introductory press conference for new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley on Wednesday, and it didn’t take long for the topic of quarterback to come up.

While Sullivan spoke briefly about the team's current quarterbacks, it was far more interesting to hear him speak on the team's process for finding the next franchise signal-caller.

Dolphins Won’t Rush QB Decision

One of the things that stood out from Sullivan’s comments was that he subscribes to a more patient team-building philosophy, even at quarterback.

“We’ve all seen teams go about it in a questionable manner, where you get a really good player at quarterback, but he can’t stay healthy because he’s getting killed or he doesn’t have anybody to throw to," Sullivan said.

“So yes, we will find our guy, but we’re going to build an infrastructure along the way, so that when we do find our trigger man — whether that’s Tua, Quinn, or someone not in the building — he’s got a team that he can play and win with.”

If you take Sullivan at his word, this philosophy would likely rule out a major trade-up in the draft (not that there’s a good option, anyway) or a major trade for an aging veteran.

This would also likely rule out the team making a huge splash in free agency at quarterback, but again, no major passer is hitting the market this offseason.

That’s not to say the Dolphins won’t pass up an opportunity that falls into their lap, but they won’t be mortgaging the future for just any shot at getting a quarterback.

This is absolutely the correct approach for where the Dolphins are at right now, and if you need an example of it working, you don’t need to look too far.

The Buffalo Bills did this before drafting Josh Allen. They punted on the 2017 QB class and rolled with Tyrod Taylor before drafting Allen in 2018. Buffalo felt like it had the roster to spend a few years developing a player with Allen’s skill set. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Buffalo traded with the Chiefs in 2017, allowing them to acquire Patrick Mahomes.

Obviously, a lot of other things had to go right for Buffalo, but not forcing a QB pick in 2017 and establishing the bedrock of the roster — as Sullivan said Miami wants to do — worked out quite well.

Dolphins Will Adopt New QB Philosophy

Just because the team likely won’t make a big splash at quarterback for the sake of doing so doesn’t mean the team won’t churn the position.

“We’re going to invest in that position every year if we can,” Sullivan said. “Now, depending on where we are as a football team, it’ll be at different values, but we will draft quarterbacks every year, if not every other year, because I think you have to.”

This is well and truly a breath of fresh air because Sullivan’s right — you should swing at the quarterback position almost every year. The Dolphins did not do this under the previous regime at all.

In Chris Grier’s nine years with the general manager title, the Dolphins drafted just four quarterbacks, and three of them were seventh-round picks. Now, to be fair, Green Bay drafted the same number of QBs in that period. However, Sullivan wasn't the chief decision-maker there, and Green Bay churned the QB position in other ways.

Sullivan referenced Green Bay’s process of selecting QBs early and letting them sit. Green Bay famously did that with Aaron Rodgers taking over for Brett Favre, and then Jordan Love taking over for Rodgers.

But it’s not always about taking big swings on first-round picks. Malik Willis is an excellent example of what churning the QB position can do, even when it’s not a high-end investment.

The Packers acquired Willis for a late Day 3 pick from the Tennessee Titans and developed him into an excellent backup. Willis’ play helped the Packers make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and if his contract were a little longer, he would’ve likely netted the team a Day 2 pick on the trade market.

Now, Willis is the top free agent QB, and someone the Dolphins might explore adding.

The team also looked at Clayton Tune and Desmond Ridder this past season. They're hardly inspiring names, but that's not really the point. Both are young options with upside. With Willis likely out the door, Green Bay has options they're already familiar with to replace him.

Another team that subscribes to this theory is the Philadelphia Eagles. They drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round despite Carson Wentz coming off an excellent season, and have developed Tanner McKee into a great backup behind Hurts in recent seasons.

McKee could fetch the team a pick in a trade this offseason, and they also managed to squeeze positive draft value out of Kenny Picket after acquiring him and trading him one offseason later.

Churning the position like that is how you end up with positive value at the league’s most important position.

It’s the right way to attack the quarterback position, and if Sullivan is true to his word, it’s how the Dolphins will operate in the coming years.

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