Questions remain about Ryan Tannehill, who is signed with the Dolphins through 2020. AP Photo/Matt Rourke
DAVIE, Fla. -- It was not supposed to be this way for the
Miami Dolphins.
In a season that started with immense optimism, this scheduled Monday Night Football game was expected to showcase a talented, up-and-coming team making a postseason push.
Instead, Miami is 5-7 with an interim head coach and essentially out of the playoff hunt. Perhaps more important is the franchise's long-term prospects, which is dimmed by the fact there remains major questions with its highly-paid quarterback.
Ryan Tannehill has become the $96 million mystery for the Dolphins. He signed an extension through 2020 last May that was the second-richest contract in franchise history – behind
Ndamukong Suh's $114 million pact -- with the prospect of being Miami's long-term solution.
However, just six months later, Tannehill hasn't made the strides in Year 4 that many expected, and in some ways he's regressed. His completion percentage (61.4), passer rating (88.3) and QBR (34.0) are all down from a year ago. Tannehill's interceptions (11) and fumbles (seven) also are ahead of last season's pace.
The Dolphins are 60 starts into the Tannehill experiment, and they still don't know what they have. Is he a future franchise quarterback or a first-round bust?
A national audience on ESPN will get the see the mystery unfold when the Dolphins host the
New York Giants under the bright lights at Sun Life Stadium.
"I thought he'd be further along by now," ESPN.com Scouting Insider Matt Williamson said. "I feel like I’m not seeing as much progress as I would like. You look at a guy like
Blake Bortles and how much better he is from Year 1 as a starter to Year 2, and
Derek Carr. I know it’s a hard position and it's been a lot of turnover, but I thought Tannehill would be a further along with deep passing and reading the defense and feel in the pocket -- all the little things. He's been stagnant."
"Stagnant" is not a word you want to describe a $96 million quarterback, but it is an accurate description for Tannehill. This is the most talented overall team he's had in Miami. Yet, Tannehill hasn't been unable to raise his level of play and those around him to get the Dolphins into the playoffs. He is a mediocre 28-32 as a starter, which is another thing he's often criticized for in South Florida.
