Don't worry, Dolphins. Ryan Tannehill is cool with you guys drafting another quarterback.
"No, I wouldn't be offended at all," Tannehill said, via the Miami Herald. "That's the nature of the business. If you're not doing the job good enough then they're looking to replace you. And you want to have depth. I love the guys in the room ... I'm excited about the room we have and if we add somebody else, I'll be open arms and welcome him in. We're just there to push each other. Push each to be better and enjoy the whole process."
As the great Armando Salguero noted in the piece, it was around this time two years ago that Joe Philbin was pushing the personnel department to select Derek Carr, now a Pro Bowl quarterback in Oakland. For Philbin, who came from the Packers school where selecting a quarterback every year was commonplace, this might not have seemed like a big deal even if those around him were worried it would scar the quarterback they already had in place. It would certainly have put the Dolphins in a better situation than they are now as they try to decide if the former No. 8 overall pick can lead a franchise.
Now it seems like an inopportune time to add competition. Selecting at No. 13 -- the Dolphins swapped first-round picks with the Eagles in the Byron Maxwell/Kiko Alonso trade -- Miami would either have to trade back up into the top 10 or saddle themselves with a project pick who might not be able to provide Day 1 competition for Tannehill, if at all. Are there any quarterbacks in this year's draft attainable after No. 10 who could immediately measure up to someone like Carr anyway?
As Miami attempts to build a stable young core -- this, after letting go of one of their best young players, Olivier Vernon -- they opted to supplement the deficiencies with established veteran stars. Ndamukong Suh, Maxwell, Alonso, Mario Williams, Kenny Stills, Jordan Cameron and Isa Abdul-Quddus will all play a major role in the push to get Miami back into the playoffs over the next two seasons.
Hurling a live quarterback competition into the mix, an inevitable side effect if Tannehill struggles, would just make the situation worse.
That's why Tannehill doesn't seem to mind. Miami isn't picking a quarterback of the future if they are picking one at all. At best, it will be competition for seasoned backup Matt Moore. At worst, it will be a shot in the dark if Tannehill struggles in 2016.
