The Miami Dolphins are entering one of the most pivotal offseasons in franchise history, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position.
Miami benched Tua Tagovailoa during their Week 15 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and has since turned to Quinn Ewers as the starter.
Tagovailoa's benching has left his future with the franchise in doubt. Though the Dolphins could keep the 2020 No. 5 overall pick, as his trade value is nonexistent, and cutting him would lead to a sizeable dead cap charge for Miami, both sides need a fresh start, and it's best to move on from the Tagovailoa era.
Though Ewers has shown some promise, he hasn't done enough to solidify his place as the Dolphins' starter in 2026. That said, A to Z Sports' AJ Schulte predicts Miami will select Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with their first-round pick in April's draft.
"The Tua Tagovailoa saga is over, and call me skeptical on Quinn Ewers being the long-term answer here. Ty Simpson has salvaged his draft stock somewhat with a strong performance against the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the College Football Playoff, and he would fit well in Mike McDaniel’s offense. It’s a bit of a gamble, but teams have done crazier, and the Dolphins don’t have many other options," Schulte wrote.
Simpson had an efficient 2025 campaign at Alabama, tossing 28 touchdowns to just five interceptions with a 64.5% completion rate. The Tennessee native possesses solid accuracy and size at 6-foot-2, but his pocket presence could use some work.
The Dolphins are unlikely to be in a position to select the top two signal-callers in the 2026 draft, Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore, as quarterback-needy teams like the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals are ahead of them The Cleveland Browns could also be in the market for a new starter if they don't want to move forward with Shedeur Sanders.
As a result, Simpson should fall to Miami's pick, which is currently slated at No. 11 overall. The Crimson Tide quarterback has a lot of room to grow, but could turn into the Dolphins' quarterback of the future and inject some optimism into the franchise.
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