Miami Dolphins Out, Ryan Tannehill In

A few weeks back everything in Miami was fine. The Miami Dolphins were winning football games. Even the games they did not win, they showed enough to convince you of a bright future. While the future is bright, we will have to wait at least another season to see their potential. Despite a win against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins playoffs hopes for this season went out the window. Still, there is reason for the fans of this once dominate franchise to have hopes that they can return to form.

In South Florida, fans are growing tired of the constant disappointment. For years the Miami Dolphins have been close. This season was no different. But this year, unlike others, should give fans and the organization real hope. It appears as if the Dolphins found their quarterback in Ryan Tannehill.

This spring the Dolphins will have to decide what to do with Tannehill. If Miami decides to pick up the fifth year of Tannehill’s rookie contract, the franchise will owe him 15 million dollars. Prior to the start of the season, many questioned whether or not Tannehill would be deserving of the money. Now, with just one game left on the schedule, there should not be the slightest bit of doubt that he is.

This season Ryan Tannehill surpassed his career best for passing touchdowns. His four touchdown performance on Sunday advanced his total to 26 on the season. It’s not just the touchdowns, though. In his third season in the NFL, Tannehill has greatly improved his decision making and accuracy. Compared to last season, Tannehill has cut down the interceptions and has increased his completion percentage to 67 percent (60.4 last season).

But his improvement goes beyond what the statistics show. His leadership and ability to guide this team is unlike anything we have seen from him in the past. It is obvious that he is growing as a leader. Throughout the season, Tannehill has showed a fire that many did not know he had. While Miami is still out of the playoffs, it is a sign of things to come. It is without question that he needs to be the backbone and leader of this team. Right now, it’s hard to argue that he isn’t.

For the first time in over a decade, Miami has a young, talented quarterback to get excited about. With Tannehill entering the closing stages of his rookie contract, the team will most likely look to sign him to a long term deal as it would save them cap space. If they decide to sign Tannehill to a long term extension, the Miami Dolphins will have something that they have lacked for nearly two decades – stability at the quarterback position. In this version of the NFL, that is one of the most important things a team can have.