Dolphins should play Matt Moore in 2017
Sometimes, the best option in life is staring you back in the face. This is the situation with the Miami Dolphins as they try to figure out what to do about their starting quarterback situation.
On Thursday morning, Ryan Tannehill rolled right and began to run toward the sideline before crumbling to the ground without contact. Tannehill left the field and hasn’t returned since, despite an MRI that showed no structural damage to his left knee, the same knee that sustained a partial ACL tear in December.
However, the Dolphins are aware the knee is likely to buckle again. At this point, it would be best for Tannehill to get season-ending surgery to fully repair the ligament. If Miami went that route, it would be out a starting quarterback and significantly hurt its chances of making a repeat playoff appearance, but Tannehill would likely be ready for the beginning of the offseason program in 2018.
With all that in mind, Matt Moore should be taking over the captain’s chair. Moore is one of the better backups in the league, and proved as much last season when Tannehill went down. Moore took Miami to the playoffs by engineering a pair of road wins over a pair of AFC East foes in the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.
Moore isn’t going to win the Super Bowl for the Dolphins. There is a good chance the Dolphins don’t even reach the playoffs with him, but that would be true if Miami signs someone from the outside as well. Moore has chemistry built up with his teammates and a trust that has been battle-tested. Additionally, he’s been in this system for two years. Sometimes, it’s the unseen intangibles that should sway a decision as important as this.
If Tannehill does get surgery, and the team decides against Moore, there are a few options. The Dolphins could go out and sign Colin Kaepernick, something that would make the masses both thrilled and irate. Unfortunately for Kaepernick, that’s not going to happen after the former San Francisco 49ers star wore a Fidel Castro t-shirt. If there is one city that won’t accept that on any level, it is Miami and it’s large Cuban population.
Another option would be signing Jay Cutler out of retirement. Cutler is slated to work as a broadcaster for FOX, but he could likely be cajoled out of the booth for a lucrative one-year deal. Dolphins head coach Adam Gase would likely be on board, considering he was Cutler’s offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears back in 2015.
Still, none of those choices make the Dolphins a contender. There is nothing wrong with playing the backup you came into the season with and hoping for the best. In the end, that’s all you would be doing with Cutler or Kaepernick, all while sending a message of panic in the locker room.
