Miami Could Secure Young QB at Value as Competition for Huntley
The Miami Dolphins were confident that backup QB Tyler Huntley would make strides between his first and second starts for the franchise.
And while his stat line and a narrow road victory over the lowly New England Patriots indicate minimal progress, Huntely has hardly traveled far enough within the offense to set at ease the minds of Dolphins fans who were thinking Super Bowl or bust before the season began just one month ago.
Miami entered its bye week after escaping Foxborough with a 15-10 win, which gives Huntley even more time to get up to speed on the scheme, as well as learn to use the great speed he has around him to the team’s offensive advantage. Baked into the time off is also an extra week for Tua Tagovailoa to recover from the third confirmed concussion of his NFL career, which he suffered in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Jim Rassol / USA TODAY NETWORK
All in all, things are looking up for the Dolphins from where they found themselves a couple games back — coming off of a blowout home loss to the Tennessee Titans and their backup quarterback, Mason Rudolph. But all conditions are relative, and circumstances in South Florida remain relatively awful compared to the heyday of the Mike McDaniel offense roughly one year ago — when even the sky didn’t seem an appropriate limit.
The league’s trade deadline of November 5 is fast-approaching, leaving the Dolphins with roughly four weeks to sort out Tagovailoa’s health and potentially make a move for another quarterback more capable than Huntley of filling in should Tagovailoa face any setbacks during his healing process or suffer a new injury upon his still undetermined return.
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports suggested on Tuesday, October 8, that Miami pursue a trade for backup QB Trey Lance of the Dallas Cowboys, a former No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance.
© Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
“Tua Tagovailoa may return, but it feels irresponsible to trust he’ll stay upright and/or safe,” Benjamin wrote. “Coach Mike McDaniel was with the San Francisco 49ers when the dynamic but unpolished Lance was drafted high.”
Lance never panned out in the Bay Area, playing most of his rookie season behind Jimmy Garoppolo and taking the starting job in Year 2 for just two games before suffering a broken ankle.
Garoppolo came back in, eventually sustaining an injury of his own, and was replaced by Brock Purdy. Purdy led San Francisco to two consecutive NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance, while Lance eventually landed in Dallas for a fourth-round pick.
Lance is just 24 years old and playing on the final year of his $34 million rookie contract. His financial cost is exceedingly minimal with a base salary just north of $1 million this season, and his trade cost shouldn’t be more than the fourth-rounder the Cowboys gave up to secure him. In all likelihood, it would probably be less.
The deal may fall well short of a home run for Miami. However, it is a move to acquire a young quarterback at value who had the kind of attributes that got him drafted in the top-3 by a team of decision makers in San Francisco that has had a ton of success and clearly knows how to identify talent.
For his career, Lance has tallied 797 passing yards, 5 TDs and 3 INTs as well as 235 rushing yards and 1 TD on 4.4 yards per carry.