There’s a decent chance the Miami Dolphins use their first-round pick in this year’s draft to select a quarterback. They're currently slotted at No. 11 overall, but they could still trade up for a QB if someone unexpectedly slips.

But even if they do draft a rookie quarterback in the first round, they’ve apparently made it clear to Ryan Tannehill that he’s still the team’s starter for the upcoming season, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Tannehill missed the entire 2017 season after he tore his ACL. He initially injured his knee near the end of the 2016 season, where he went 8-5 as a starter en route to leading the Dolphins to their first playoff berth in eight years. Tannehill also went a three-year stretch from 2013-15 averaging 4,000 passing yards.

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But despite those numbers, he has not exactly been entirely convincing as a true franchise-caliber quarterback. That’s why the Dolphins have kept the door open on drafting another quarterback.

While Tannehill’s job appears safe for the upcoming season whatever happens in the draft, his future with the team will likely be in serious doubt if the Dolphins do decide to bring in a younger QB. There’s no point investing a first-round pick in a quarterback if the team doesn’t intend to groom him as a starter.

In starting Tannehill for 2018, the Dolphins may just be looking at the upcoming season as an opportunity to patiently develop whichever rookie quarterback they pick if they do indeed get one. It’d also help build Tannehill’s stock back up following his injury so they could then trade him off.