National Football League

The Miami Dolphins have a dilemma: Help Tua or draft his replacement?

Updated Mar. 24, 2021 4:05 p.m. ET

If the Miami Dolphins find themselves struggling to decide what to do in the upcoming NFL Draft, they might be able to learn something from the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals found themselves in a bit of a dilemma in 2019, similar to what the Dolphins are facing now.

The previous year, Arizona traded up from its draft position at No. 15 to No. 10 in the first round in order to snag UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen.

Then two things happened.

First, Rosen had a lackluster rookie season, completing just 55.2% of his passes for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His passer rating was a disappointing 66.7.

Next, Kyler Murray went to the NFL Scouting Combine and turned out to be not only fast but also taller and heavier than anyone expected. He turned heads. That led to questions: Would the Cardinals, sitting on the No. 1 pick, move on from Rosen so soon after investing so much to get him?

Heading into that 2019 draft, most people said some version of, "Don’t be silly. You just picked a quarterback. You can’t get rid of him already!"

Adam Schein was among them, writing on NFL.com: "I understand the allure of dot-connecting when it comes to Murray and the team holding the No. 1 pick in the draft. But I really dig logic. The Arizona Cardinals have their quarterback. They need to use all draft capital to support him, not replace him."

Schein wasn’t alone. Many made the case that to draft Murray would mean the Cardinals admitting that they messed up in drafting Rosen. Conventional wisdom suggested the team should stick with him.

In that case, though, the conventional wisdom was wrong.

Fast-forward two years later, and here we are again. Only this time, it’s not the Cardinals who face this dilemma – they have their quarterback now! – it’s the Miami Dolphins.

Like the Cardinals in 2019, the Dolphins find themselves in possession of a once highly touted quarterback who had a lackluster rookie season. They also find themselves at the top of the NFL Draft.

The Josh Rosen type in the current situation is Tua Tagovailoa. To be fair to him, he had a better rookie season than Rosen did in 2018. In 10 games (nine starts), Tagovailoa completed 64.1% of his passes for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. His passer rating was 87.1. He didn't dazzle as much as the team hoped, however, and he has a history of injuries.

So here the Dolphins sit in possession of the No. 3 overall pick in a quarterback-rich draft.

Do they follow conventional wisdom and use their position to get Tagovailoa some help? Or do they go after someone such as Ohio State star Justin Fields at the No. 3 spot?

Colin Cowherd thinks the Dolphins should take the latter approach because Fields is just too good.

"Miami could take a mulligan on Tua and do what Arizona did," Cowherd said on "The Herd." "Justin Fields is bigger than Tua, stronger than Tua, faster than Tua, a bigger high-end arm than Tua. He’s a better athlete than Tua."

Cowherd said Tagovailoa is fine as a pocket passer in the mold of Kirk Cousins or Andy Dalton, but he pointed out that when the rookie was replaced by 38-year-old Ryan Fitzpatrick during the season, Fitzpatrick looked "significantly more athletic."

Tagovailoa also struggled under pressure, compiling just a 45.6 passer rating with no touchdowns and a pair of interceptions in pressure situations.

Offering a counterpoint to the discussion, though, was Cowherd’s guest on the show, Ryen Russillo. He said that while Tagovailoa's rookie season wasn’t great, the young quarterback deserves more of a chance.

"There’s no way I can take a QB this quickly at No. 3," Russillo said. "I just can’t."

Russillo pointed out that if the Dolphins bring in Fields – under the assumption that they would not trade Tagovailoa – they would change the whole dynamic of their roster, change the breakdown of reps in practice and potentially invite discord into the locker room.

Instead, he advised the Dolphins to give Tagovailoa another chance, show more trust in him with the playcalling and see if he can reach his potential.

"I’m still hoping that guy from Alabama exists, and I wouldn’t want to derail it this soon with a pick that high."

Will the Dolphins play to conventional wisdom and get some help for their young quarterback? Or will they follow the Cardinals’ model and grab Fields, who appears to be the better player?

We’ll find out when the NFL Draft begins April 29.