During the Miami Dolphins‘ loss on “Thursday Night Football” to the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered “his fourth diagnosed concussion in the last five years,” according to Pro Football Network Dolphins reporter Adam Beasley.
Updates on Tagovailoa’s status will come through the week, but there are already whispers about what this latest concussion could mean for Tagovailoa’s future.
If Tagovailoa were to retire, or be medically forced into doing so, where would the Dolphins be able to turn at QB in the 2025 NFL Draft?
2025 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospects Who Could Replace Tua Tagovailoa
It was only recently that Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212.4 million contract extension with the Dolphins. Now, in the short-term, there are questions about whether or not he’ll play again after his latest concussion.
Concussions famously carry the danger of worsening long-term symptoms with each instance of the injury, and Tagovailoa has now suffered multiple concussions at the NFL level. He’s recovered each time. The hope is that he will this time, too. But the risk runs greater each time, and he could also opt to retire to preserve his health.
The contractual implications of a Tagovailoa retirement are worth discussing, but even more daunting is the prospect of finding a replacement, especially with an uncertain 2025 NFL Draft QB class on deck.
The two most important aspects of Mike McDaniel’s offensive scheme are timing and accuracy: Two areas in which Tagovailoa greatly excels. If Tagovailoa is no longer available, who fits that description best in the 2025 class, and who might provide a talent upgrade?
Carson Beck, Georgia
When we isolate timing and accuracy as important qualities in McDaniel’s scheme, Georgia’s Carson Beck is a prospect who immediately comes to mind. Beck was my preliminary QB1 in the class, and he remains atop the board with his high-floor skill set.
Beck is a composed pocket passer with exceptional pocket navigation skills, poise, and discipline, and he’s also a stellar processor and anticipator, with impressive accuracy and layering ability. His arm is superior to Tagovailoa’s as well — a boon of his natural talent.
For the Dolphins to be in range of Beck — the likely QB1 — it would likely mean that Tagovailoa would be sidelined for the rest of the year in favor of Skylar Thompson. But it could be worth the cost if Beck can keep the offense humming without missing a beat.
Drew Allar, Penn State
After Beck, there’s a very big gap — both in terms of 2025 NFL Draft prospects and general fits for the Dolphins’ offense. Beck is the best option, but of the next tier, Drew Allar is perhaps the most exciting.
Allar’s placement here is a bit paradoxical, as accuracy is not yet a major strength of his. He’s improved so far in 2024 with his situational precision and throw variety, but he’s still ironing out that part of his game, as well as his overall processing.
Nevertheless, at 6’5″, 241 pounds, Allar is a hyper-elite throwing talent. He’s not as good of a runner as Josh Allen, but he has the same easy whip-like velocity and angle freedom as a thrower, and his operational framework is promising for his age.
As a high-powered pocket passer, Allar could do well in McDaniel’s offense — if he can keep improving at reining in his arm and expanding his arsenal of throws.
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Jaxson Dart is one such 2025 NFL Draft prospect whose stock is hard to pinpoint. He clearly has early-round upside, but we won’t get a better idea of his NFL valuation until he navigates through SEC play later in the year.
Nevertheless, at 6’2″, 225 pounds, Dart has proven he can operate an offense in-structure with efficiency, and he also has impressive mobility and arm talent for his size. His angle freedom and effortless velocity enables him to layer different types of throws.
Dart’s underpinning accuracy would serve McDaniel well, and Dart also brings an upgrade in raw talent. He ultimately needs to improve his pocket navigation and become more consistent as a processor, but the building blocks are there for him to be a great QB.
Quinn Ewers, Texas
If he continues to follow his current trajectory, Quinn Ewers could be a viable option for the Dolphins in the 2025 NFL Draft. The former five-star recruit has always had the talent, but his stock is as high as it’s ever been after his strong showing against Michigan.
Earlier in his career, Ewers’ trademark arm elasticity and malleable off-platform ability was paired with an at-times frustrating tendency to free-flow and sacrifice timing and mechanical discipline. But this year, a different, more controlled Ewers has appeared on film.
If Ewers can keep this control, he’d be an obvious fit for McDaniel’s system, and his near-unmatched proficiency as an angle manipulator and off-platform thrower would add an extra element that McDaniel’s never quite had.
Cam Ward, Miami (FL)
For one of their 2025 QB options, the Dolphins won’t have to look very far. Miami (FL)’s Cam Ward is off to a hot start in the 2024 campaign, with 689 yards, six touchdowns, and only one interception through two weeks at over 75% completion.
At 6’2″, 223 pounds, Ward is one of the most adept creators in the 2025 class, and he’d in fact be a sizable talent upgrade from Tagovailoa with his change-of-direction ability, arm elasticity, and off-platform freedom.
Ward’s creation ability could in fact expand the possibilities in McDaniel’s offense. On the flip side, however, Ward’s inconsistent operational discipline, timing, and field vision also drastically lowers the floor. Ward would need to develop that part of his game, but it’s fun to think about his upside as a hometown prospect.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Shedeur Sanders is one of the more intriguing options for the Dolphins if Tagovailoa’s long-term outlook is jeopardized. As of now, it’s extremely difficult to pinpoint Sanders’ stock. At times, he’s been mocked in Round 1 — but questions surrounding his leadership, maturity, and non-elite physical upside mar his projection.
Having said all this, pre-snap autonomy and accuracy are considerable strengths of Sanders’. While his timing can be prone to aberrations, he generally has a good sense of play pace on short and intermediate throws — and he knows when to take shots on fades and vertical routes.
With Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in tow, Sanders’ best traits would be maximized. The only concern is whether he can win over and galvanize an NFL locker room the way a franchise QB is supposed to.
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
If the Dolphins have concerns about Tagovailoa’s long-term future but don’t fall within the range of a potential starting QB, a mid-to-late-round sleeper option would be LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. Nussmeier, at 6’2″, 200 pounds, has eight touchdowns through two games.
Nussmeier is close to average in terms of mobility and arm talent, but some of his calling cards thus far in his LSU career have been his accuracy, mechanics, and his composure. McDaniel’s scheme could play to Nussmeier’s strengths, gleaning at least replacement-level play in a spot-starter role.