“We have a great roster and I think everybody has great expectations. It’s the old injury bug,” said the Dolphins owner Stephen Ross last year. The 2024 season saw their worst fears come true. QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in the week 2 game against the Bills. HC Mike McDaniel was worried about the team’s future. While the signal caller returned, the franchise failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Things are changing this year. The franchise showed confidence in their HC-QB duo for the last 3 years. But they never became a team dangerous enough to scare the rivals. The rumors are that they have been given an ultimatum. If the Dolphins don’t improve their performance to a bigger level than the past 3 years, they might be told to pack their bags.

The Phins’ first pick (5th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft, Tua Tagovailoa struggled in his first 2 seasons, with only a 13-8 win-loss record. But when Mike McDaniel arrived in 2022, they formed a winning combination, entering back-to-back playoffs. However, there was a danger lurking in the shadows. Concussion!

The signal-caller suffered two concussions in the 2022 season, forcing him out of the wildcard game against the Bills, which they lost. That kicked off a long journey of making a comeback, forcing the QB to practice martial arts. He even learned how to take a fall on the gridiron. However, the journey wasn’t always positive. At one point, the athlete also considered retirement.

There’s another side. Last year, the Dolphins signed a 4-year, $212.4 million contract extension until 2028. And there’s no other quality quarterback. They only signed Tyler Huntley in the 2024 off-season who had a 2-3 record for them in 5 games.

However, the franchise wants to build another signal caller. They are eagerly looking into the 2025 draft with hopes of getting a magnificent prospect.

Dolphins looking at the upcoming draft for Tua Tagovailoa’s backup

In 2023, the only season when Tua Tagovailoa played all 17 games, he had 388 of 560 passes (69.3% completion rate) for 4,624 yards with 29 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He finished with an 11-6 record. Though he took his side to the Wild Card round, they failed to progress further. In 2024, numbers slipped further as they failed to reach the playoffs. And Tua’s numbers dipped as well.

So, to improve their performance in the upcoming season, the Phins have looked through the long list of college QBs. They found the one, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.

Over the years, Milroe came up as the main QB that could make him an NFL franchise quarterback. In 2024, he had a 9-4 record in 13 games with 205 of 319 passes (64.3% completion rate) in 2,844 passing yards with 16 TDs and 11 interceptions. His skills and strategies, using pump fakes to confuse the defense, have raised his stakes.

Moreover, he has shown dual-threat ability like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. With 168 rushes in 726 rushing yards with 20 TDs, he has also excelled in the rushing game. So, the Dolphins could grab a jackpot if they draft him. Under Tua Tagovailoa, he could also have a year or two to get used to the league pressure.

The fans are tense. Waiting for a Super Bowl for more than 5 decades gets frustrating at times. The next two months will be crucial for rebuilding the team, and making it stronger for the season. And we can definitely see some major changes in the roster for the revamp.