Will Dolphins turn to Jay Cutler, Colin Kaepernick after Ryan Tannehill's knee injury?
For the second time in a little more than eight months, the Miami Dolphins have to face the fact Ryan Tannehill could be lost for an extended period of time.
The team’s starting quarterback went down in Thursday’s practice with a non-contact injury to his left knee, the same one on which he suffered a sprained anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament in Week 14 last season.
Even though the team continues to assess the best way to treat Tannehill, it appears he will be lost for a good period of time -- if not the entire season.
Though certainly not ideal – and though all the following options present a downgrade – Miami does have a few routes it can take in the short term.
Stick with Matt Moore
Tannehill’s backup, Moore, is widely considered to be one of the top No. 2 options in the league. He understands coach Adam Gase’s offense, has plenty of experience, and can fill in and produce. When Tannehill went down last year, Moore completed 63.2% of his passes for 721 yards and eight touchdowns against three interceptions in four-regular season games. Miami won two of the three contests he started. In the playoffs, however, the offense sputtered in a 30-12 wild-card loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers under Moore.
If the Dolphins opt to stick with Moore, though, they could add another passer for depth.
Sign recently retired Jay Cutler
After the Chicago Bears released him this offseason, Cutler didn’t draw any interest on the open market, retired and joined Fox Sports as an analyst. Cutler worked with Gase when the Dolphins coach was Chicago’s offensive coordinator for the 2015 season. Gase said at the annual league meetings in March: “I think he’s a starting quarterback” and “I think he has a lot to offer a team.”
While under Gase, Cutler completed 64.4% of his passes for 3,659 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2015. More importantly, Gase helped simplify the system and assisted Cutler in reducing his interceptions, which dropped to 11 from 18 the year before.
Multiple media reports said the Dolphins and Cutler talked on Friday night, but no deal has been reached.
Sign Colin Kaepernick
This would be the move, of course, that would bring the most media attention and debate. Kaepernick has become the most polarizing figure in the NFL after kneeling for the national anthem last season and speaking out about several social issues. Deciding to sign him likely entails more than a run-of-the-mill move.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, however, has spoken positively of Kaepernick and players who protested the national anthem – including ones on his own team.
“I would sure hope not,” Ross told reporters last Thursday when asked if he thought Kaepernick was being blackballed. “I know a lot’s been written about it, but you know owners and coaches – they’ll do anything it takes to win. If they think he can help them win, I would hope they would sign him.”
Kaepernick appeared in 12 games last season, starting 11, and completed 59.2% of his passes for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran the ball 69 times for 468 yards and two rushing scores. Gase does not have experience coaching Kaepernick, but was under consideration for the San Francisco 49ers head coaching job after the 2015 season.
Sign a different free agent
Some other notable names who are on the market include Robert Griffin III, Christian Ponder, Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray. The Dolphins could also wait for roster cuts later in the preseason to add depth at the position.
Make a trade
Some potential names to watch could be Cody Kessler or Brock Osweiler of the Cleveland Browns. The Jets are having a three-way competition at quarterback — if they decide to go young they could look to move veteran journeyman Josh McCown. AJ McCarron of the Bengals is another name that routinely comes up in trade discussions. Blaine Gabbert, fighting for a roster spot in Arizona, could also be another option.
Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @LorenzoGReyes.
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