Miami Dolphins: How Blake Bortles Fixes the QB problem

When it comes to the offseason, nothing is more certain than the Miami Dolphins and their talks of bringing in a new quarterback. 20 years since the days of Dan Marino and the franchise seems no closer to finding their next long term quarterback option. New head coach after new regime has tried to fix bad situation after a mediocre performance and all would hitch their horse to the wrong wagon.

This offseason will be no different and newly appointed head coach Brian Flores will face a similar challenge. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill never seemed to live up to his potential and a low ceiling of slightly above average results haven’t got the Dolphins over the hump. With rumors persisting that Tannehill is on his way out in Miami, the team should look for help in the most unlikely of candidates, Blake Bortles assuming he gets cut.

No, Bortles won’t be the savior the Dolphins are looking for but does present them with some interesting options if they’re looking to fix the franchise. While fans would rather have a flashier name like Nick Foles or Teddy Bridgewater, Bortles might be the smart play for the future. True, he might not be an upgrade over Tannehill, but great defense, a stellar run game, and some weapons in the receiving unit had him one good pass away from the Super Bowl. With the right offseason moves, Miami has similar pieces in place.

Bortles might seem like another short term fix that will inevitably won’t work out, but he does offer the Dolphins a chance at building in the future. If Bortles is cut, he’ll end up with the remainder of his guarantee from Jacksonville so Miami might be able to acquire his services on a cheap 2-year deal instead of shelling out for one of the top free agents on the market or trading away draft picks. If the Dolphins are truly looking to rebuild, stockpiling draft picks and low spending on free agents needs to be their game.

As to how Bortles fixes the future? Everyone’s mock drafts are talking quarterback in the first round. If the Dolphins can play their hand right, Bortles would allow them to push their need back into the second or even third round and pick up a quarterback to develop. Someone like Ryan Finley would be a great addition for Miami. He’s a smart quarterback who knows how to manage the game but needs to develop at the NFL level. He wouldn’t have to be thrown to the wolves and take over the starting role like every quarterback before him.

While the Miami Dolphins not having good luck with quarterbacks in the second round the team still could have some options. The 2020 quarterback class said to be a little bit strong, Miami still could have the option of drafting a franchise quarterback of the future. Draft prospects like Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert could have tremendous upside.

By adding Bortles into the mix in 2019, Miami could have a stable of quarterbacks fighting for the starting position in 2020. There’d be no rush to find the future signal caller now and would allow the Dolphins to build the missing pieces, such as a revamped offensive line. Building an offensive line and a strong defense should be Flores and companies top priority and Bortles gives them the option to do so. With a beefed-up line and a defense that can cover for their mistakes, the young quarterbacks could easily shake off their mistakes.

Best case scenario, on a two-year deal Blake Bortles could give the Dolphins 3 quarterbacks to compete for the starting job. Worst case scenario, Bortles is his typical underperforming and he’d be a cost-friendly bridge to the next quarterback. Miami doesn’t need to break the bank finding their typical “win, now” free agent move. Even if it means suffering through a year of mediocre football, the Dolphins’ fans should be on board with Bortles so long as he’d take a team friendly deal to stay in Florida. There’s plenty of teams that will get into a bidding war for Foles and Bridgewater and the Dolphins shouldn’t be one of them. Adding Bortles wouldn’t necessarily be a “tank season” but could set up future success for Brian Flores’ regime and their rebuilding process.

Tweets by Coach_Rick12