Fins QB Future Still Undecided
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There's an old adage in football circles that if you have more than one starting quarterback, you don't have any. The Dolphins are holding an open competition at the quarterback position in training camp and while three are standing right now; one may be out of work soon.
According to Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post, the Dolphins are preparing multiple contingency plans for the position. Most expect rookie Ryan Tannehill to be buried on the depth chart, but he has impressed many in the early stages of camp.
The Post report said that a league source said the Fins are even considering cutting either Matt Moore or David Garrard if Tannehill displays enough of a grasp of the offense to assume the number two spot on the depth chart.
Based on their years of service, if both Moore and Garrard are on the roster as of week 1, their salaries become guaranteed, according to Volin. The Post report said that if the Fins cut or trade Moore, it would count $750,000 against the salary cap, but would save them $2.75 million in salary.
If the Fins cut or trade Garrard, it will save the team $2.25 million in salary, but count $1 million against the salary cap if he's cut.
All of it though is dependent on the ability of Tannehill to make enough progress to assume a large role on the team. If he struggles against the team's number one defense and in preseason, the Fins will likely keep all three quarterbacks on the roster.
As of the first week of training camp, media observers have pegged Garrard as looking like the best quarterback of the bunch. However, he hasn't played in a regular season game in more than a year.
Head coach Joe Philbin has said the quarterback competition is wide open. But, Garrard is likely to get the starting nod in Week 1 of the preseason. Philbin said Thursday about 75 percent of the offense has been installed.
The real tell of how the quarterback competition will finish will be in Week 3 of the preseason, which is considered a dress rehearsal for the regular season.
