The Miami Dolphins have no intentions of holding an open quarterback competition this year in training camp, but that does not mean they are opposed to drafting a player at the position early in the first round Thursday night.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that the “smart money” says the Dolphins will stay put at No. 11 and draft the best defensive player available. However, he notes that they have not ruled out trading up if one of the top QB prospects begins to slide.
The #Dolphins haven’t ruled out trading up tonight if a QB slides in the #NFLDraft, but they’ve also made clear to Ryan Tannehill that no matter what, he’s their starter for 2018. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/vIDfcHbva5
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 26, 2018
Pelissero says the situation could potentially shake out like the one in Kansas City a year ago, when the Chiefs were committed to Alex Smith as their starter but moved up to draft Patrick Mahomes. Ryan Tannehill recently restructured his deal and is due more than $17 million guaranteed in 2018, so it makes sense that his starting job is safe — at least for now.
The Dolphins are not the only team that has reportedly considered trading up for a QB, and it’s possible there could be a lot of shuffling once things get started in Round 1.
