Alex Smith vs David Garrard: Which QB is Best Fit for Miami Dolphins?

According to Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel, the Miami Dolphins have signed David Garrard:

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On Monday night—despite ongoing negotiations with 49ers quarterback Alex Smith—the Dolphins signed veteran quarterback David Garrard to an incentive-laden one-year deal.

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And speaking of Alex Smith, according to ESPN, the Dolphins met with him as well:

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The Dolphins had a brief, unproductive courtship with Matt Flynn, then turned their attention Sunday to Alex Smith, the San Francisco 49ers free agent.

Smith left the Miami complex after a 5 1/2-hour meeting. Dolphins officials declined to comment on any details about this visit.

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With all that said, who is a better fit for Miami: Alex Smith or David Garrard? Well, let's briefly break each quarterback down and find out.

Alex Smith

The younger of the two, Alex Smith was flaky at best through his first six NFL seasons. He never topped 3,000 passing yards and his best season was in 2006 with 18 touchdowns to 12 picks and a 60.5 completion percentage.

That was until coach Jim Harbaugh came along and San Francisco went to the NFC title game. In 2011, Smith had over 3,100 yards, with 17 touchdowns to just five picks and a 61.3 completion percentage.

Also, Smith had five touchdowns to zero picks in two playoff games as well as an impressive display of mobility. Despite not having any standout receivers to target, Smith made the 49ers passing game relevant enough to prevent defenses from stacking the box against Frank Gore.

There's no doubt, though, that Smith still needs to develop. Still considered more of a scrambling quarterback, he displayed excellent potential in 2011 by being more patient in the pocket.

David Garrard

Garrard's biggest downside right now is his age. He's 34 years old, missed the entire 2011 season, but is getting another opportunity in Miami. Chances are he'll enter as the backup to Matt Moore, however, Garrard has proven consistency to win the starting job.

For one, he averaged over 3,100 yards per season between 2007 and 2010 and connected on 71 touchdowns to just 41 touchdowns during that span.

With no stud receivers to rely on in Jacksonville, Garrard managed to complete 63 percent of his passes the past four seasons and finish with an average rating of 89.55. Of the two, Garrard has easily been the more consistent quarterback with just as much mobility.

The only real concern, though, is how long it will take for Garrard to get reestablished and acclimated to pro football. It would be unfair to expect a player—especially a quarterback—to just flip a switch and be back to normal after missing an entire season.

Better Fit?

Alex Smith

Alex Smith is the better fit as he's just, if not more, mobile than Garrard, younger and healthier. Plus, Garrard never had Smith's type of postseason success despite having more consistent regular season success.

If there's one thing we learned about Smith in 2011 it's that he can make significant strides under a good coach. Well, Dolphins' new head coach Joe Philbin knows a thing or two about developing quarterbacks.

After all, he was the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator from 2007-2011 and can take a lot of credit for the success of Aaron Rodgers and Matt Flynn. While Smith is still a work in progress, his potential is much greater than Garrard's since he'll be just 28 years old before next season.

All that said, the Dolphins may end up having to stick with Garrard. According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, Smith still has an offer waiting for him:

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On Monday, 49ers CEO Jed York told Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and the San Jose Mercury News that Smith’s contract offer remained on the table. York said he hoped Smith would be the team’s starting quarterback in 2012. The Niners have offered Smith a three-year, $24 million deal.

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When all the smoke clears, though, don't discount the efforts put on by Matt Moore from 2011. If Miami can get a solid receiving prospect in the draft, Moore has even greater potential in 2012.

John Rozum on Twitter.