The Miami Dolphins are one of the NFL's worst teams through seven weeks. Miami is 1-6 after an ugly 31-6 loss against Cleveland that had the team owner grimacing. Now the Dolphins seem destined for a rebuild of some kind. But the question is how big it will be, and when it will happen.
ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler discussed Miami's dire situation on Wednesday. They believe that big changes could be coming as early as the NFL's trade deadline on November 4th.
“If they're looking ahead to next year as a reset/rebuild scenario, they're going to listen to calls on almost anyone,” Graziano wrote. “My biggest question is what they'll do at quarterback.”
Fowler warned that Tua Tagovailoa's struggles put the Dolphins in a tough situation. Tua's contract makes it very difficult to move on from him from a financial standpoint.
“Trading that contract doesn't seem feasible. Miami can work around the salary cap, but the guarantee is an albatross,” Fowler added. “No team wants to absorb a fraction of that because they don't have to (think Russell Wilson in Denver two years ago). Any form of release triggers a $54 million payout, minus offsets.”
They also cited Tua's concussion history and past comments related to Brian Flores as reasons why other teams may be nervous about trading for him.
At this point, the Dolphins seem stuck with Tagovailoa. But that could always change if Miami gets desperate enough.
How Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa responded to Dolphins' embarrassing Browns loss
The Dolphins understand that drastic measures need to be taken to turn things around.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel explained that he would look at ways to prevent turnovers after Sunday's embarrassing loss.
“When you turn the ball over, it’s the number one indicator of wins and losses,” McDaniel said. “We’ll watch the tape and change our style of play if we have to. Everything is on the table.”
ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques added on Monday that McDaniel seemed to follow through on that promise.
“Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa watched tape of the Dolphins' offense vs. the Browns together this morning and had direct communication about the ebbs and flows, and how we can improve,” Louis-Jacques reported. He added that this was the third or fourth time the pair have had such a film session this season.
If the Dolphins do not get another win soon, ownership could start making important changes.
Next up for the Dolphins is a Week 8 matchup against the Falcons.
