Pat Leonard’s NFL Notes: It would be foolish to think Miami Dolphins aren’t looking to upgrade at quarterback

Tua Tagovailoa can’t be the Miami Dolphins starting quarterback in 2023.

Whether it’s ‘Tampering Tom’ Brady or Lamar Jackson, rules-breaking Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has to go all-in on a brilliant QB to aerate one of the NFL’s best accepting band led by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Especially if the Jets access Aaron Rodgers from the Packers, are the Dolphins really activity to accumulate the injury-prone Tagovailoa in abode as their starter, assurance a mid-level adept advancement and artlessly move their fingers?

“You can’t calculation on Tua,” one alliance delivery said, citation the QB’s concussions amid added backbone issues.

The Dolphins best up Tagovailoa’s $23 million fifth-year advantage for 2024 on Friday. But afraid with him at QB will not suffice, and it is adverse with Ross’ berserk contempo following of an advancement at the position.

What? Ross thinks it’s value a $1.5 million accomplished and a alliance abeyance to alter with Brady in 2019-20 while he was once on the Patriots — and in 2021 while he was once on the Buccaneers — about it’s not value a brace of abstract picks to get Jackson?

You anticipate Ross won’t try to pry Brady out of retirement afterwards trying to assurance him alert while he was once arena on two altered teams?

You shouldn’t choose addition to acquaint you it’s aqueous if you’re already continuing alfresco assimilation wet.

Dolphins GM Chris Grier and drillmaster Mike McDaniel have been actual accurate with their words to a all of their options open.

CBS cabal Josina Anderson lately appear which the Dolphins will analyze all options at QB, including possibly affective in a altered administration from Tagovailoa.

They can still barter him afterwards acrimonious up this fifth-year option. In fact, which offers abeyant suitors two years of ascendancy at a reasonable charge on a amateur who carries abundant risk.

Miami alone austere further than $55 million in bacon cap amplitude this accomplished week by amateur releases and restructures as chargeless agency approaches, as well.

One delivery answered if Miami does accomplish a move at QB, he believes they would get either Brady, Jackson or 49ers chargeless abettor Jimmy Garoppolo.

Garoppolo would be a brace of accomplish bottomward from the others and comes with his own harm history. But his acquaintance with McDaniel and his breach from their time calm in San Francisco is a accustomed accessible fit. It also would be the cheapest route, so that’s apparently the fallback advantage if Brady and Jackson don’t happen.

But brainstorm how baleful McDaniel’s breach would attending with Jackson beneath centermost and Hill and Waddle active routes.

“That would be one of the fastest offenses this alliance has anytime seen,” addition alliance delivery said. “What would defenses do? How would they avert the box?”

It is no abstruse which Jackson would adulation to comedy in his home accompaniment if he is traded by the Baltimore Ravens. Brady already unretired already aftermost year, and it wouldn’t shock anybody in the alliance if he did it again.

Ross and the Dolphins already fabricated the aberration of drafting Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert in 2020.

Then, although Tagovailoa played pretty able-bodied aboriginal aftermost season, his concussions alleged into catechism alone how continued he will be able to comedy in the alliance at all. And the Dolphins absent his final four starts, including a three-interception defeat to Green Bay.

Miami went alone 9-8 to complete 2nd in the AFC East, far abaft the Bills (13-3), afore arena Buffalo abutting with third-string QB Skylar Thompson in a 34-31 alley Wild Card playoff loss.

Tagovailoa answered he is alive on acquirements how to abatement further safely, about football is violent. There is alone so abundant a amateur can ascendancy — generally it’s annihilation at all — while demography a hit.

The Dolphins choose to advancement at QB. Especially if the Jets acreage Rodgers, they choose to beat big to accumulate clip with the Jets (Rodgers), Bills (Josh Allen) and Patriots (Bill Belichick).

And Miami’s contempo history doesn’t alone appearance which they could coursing for a new quarterback; it shows which they will.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Has anybody chock-full to anticipate about whether Rodgers would be able to handle the spotlight in New York? It abiding feels like the Jets have. This has been one of the many artful courtships of a brilliant amateur I can remember. I admiration if the Jets are trying to be accurate about what gained leaked and answered locally for abhorrence of alarming off their abundantly rabbit-eared high target.

The L.A. Rams have appear bend rusher Leonard Floyd, 30. The Giants capital Floyd in the 2016 NFL Draft and fabricated a large advance afresh for him in 2021 about bootless to avoid him from re-signing with the Rams. Something to accumulate in mind.

Keep an eye on Buccaneers chargeless abettor bend Jamel Dean, 26, while the NFL chargeless abettor negotiating window opens on Monday. Outside bend is the Giants’ better choose on defense, area they also are looking at arresting tackles and central linebackers. Dean is a able alfresco awning bend with acceptable admeasurement who is still young. He has seven interceptions, 41 passes dedicated in a Super Bowl arena in for NFL seasons. He would be an excellent fit in Wink Martindale’s blitz-heavy arrangement afterwards arena for Todd Bowles.

Odell Beckham Jr. formed out for 12-14 NFL teams in Arizona on Friday, and there are further teams absorbed who didn’t appear in person. It should be appealing to see if addition intends to pay OBJ absolute cash afterwards seeing him run routes and authenticate he’s healthy.

THEY SAID IT

Is there a book area Rodgers is the Packers’ QB in 2023? “If things don’t banal out the way we choose them, yeah, he would.” — Packers admiral Mark Murphy to WBAY-TV

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