Dolphins' Top QB Options in 2026 NFL Draft, Free Agency After Tua Tagovailoa's Release

Mike ChiariMar 9, 2026

The Miami Dolphins are about to embark on a search for a new starting quarterback after parting ways with Tua Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa's impending release was announced by the Dolphins on Monday ahead of the start of NFL free agency's legal tampering period.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Dolphins designated Tua a post-June 1, meaning his $99.2 million dead cap hit will be spread out over the next two years.

The Dolphins figure to have plenty of replacement options at their disposal in free agency and via the 2026 NFL draft.

Here is a rundown of the quarterback candidates the Dolphins could and should consider this offseason.

Free Agent Options

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While free agency is not overflowing with talent at quarterback, there are a couple of potential long-term options, and others who could serve as solid stopgaps until a long-term answer is found.

By far the most intriguing of the free-agent quarterbacks is Malik Willis, who was the Green Bay Packers' backup for the past two seasons.

Originally selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans, Willis did not throw a single touchdown pass in two seasons with the Titans before getting traded to the Packers.

While his opportunities were limited in Green Bay behind Jordan Love, he largely impressed when he played. Willis went 2-0 in two starts in 2024, throwing for 550 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, while also rushing for 138 yards and one score.

Last season, Willis lost his only start, but in four appearances overall, he threw for 422 yards, three touchdowns and no picks, and also rushed for 123 yards and two scores.

Willis does have a link to the Dolphins, as new head coach Jeff Hafley was the Packers' defensive coordinator during Willis' tenure with the team.

Kyler Murray is a far more established option, and he perhaps represents the best combination of experience and upside.

Murray was the Arizona Cardinals' starting quarterback for parts of seven seasons after getting selected first overall in the 2019 NFL draft.

He was the 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019, earned Pro Bowl selections in 2020 and 2021, and led the Cards to the playoffs in 2021.

However, that was his only playoff appearance during his time in Arizona, and injuries limited him throughout his tenure, as he missed multiple games in four of the past five seasons, including 12 last season and nine in 2023.

In 87 starts with the Cards, Murray went 38-48-1, completing 67.1 percent of his passes for 20,460 yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions, in addition to rushing for 3,193 yards and 32 touchdowns.

Arizona cut Murray after his injury-plagued 2025 season, but he is still just 28 years old, and his dual-threat ability could make him dangerous in Miami alongside wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and running back De'Von Achane.

Kirk Cousins and Geno Smith are less exciting possibilities, but they are both experienced veterans who can effectively run an NFL offense.

Cousins, 37, spent the past two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons after a successful, six-year run with the Minnesota Vikings that featured three Pro Bowl selections.

Amid his struggles, which included a league-high 16 interceptions, Cousins lost the Falcons' starting job to Michael Penix Jr. late in the 2024 season and started 2025 as a backup.

He returned to a starting role after Penix tore his ACL and finished last season with a 5-3 record, while completing 61.7 percent of his passing attempts for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five picks.

Smith had three highly productive years as the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback from 2022 to 2024, earning two Pro Bowl nods, going 27-22 and throwing for 12,226 yards, 71 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.

He was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders prior to the 2025 season and proceeded to have a nightmarish year before getting released.

The 35-year-old Smith went 2-13 and completed 67.4 percent of his passes for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and a league-high 17 picks.

Both Cousins and Smith would likely only be one-year starters in Miami barring something unexpected, but it would allow the organization to recalibrate and select a quarterback in the first round of the 2027 NFL draft.

Draft Options

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All signs point toward Indiana's Fernando Mendoza going first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2026 NFL draft, but outside of him, there are tons of question marks surrounding the quarterback position.

Alabama's Ty Simpson is the only other quarterback considered likely to go in the first round, as the BR NFL Scouting Department projected him to go 29th overall to the Los Angeles Rams in its latest 2026 NFL mock draft.

The Dolphins own the No. 11 overall pick in the draft, meaning that in order to get Simpson, they may have to take him 11th, trade down in the first round, or trade back up into the first round, using their second-round pick as ammo.

Simpson's viability as an eventual starting quarterback in the NFL is anyone's guess, especially since he has only one year of starting experience at the collegiate level.

He was highly impressive during his lone year as the starter at Alabama, though, completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,567 yards, 28 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

If the Dolphins don't land Simpson, it would likely mean drafting a developmental quarterback on Day 2 or Day 3 to compete with a veteran free-agent signing and/or 2025 seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers.

Of those Day 2 and Day 3 prospects, Carson Beck would perhaps be the favored choice among Dolphins fans since he led the University of Miami to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last season.

Beck started only one year at Miami, but he is among the most experienced quarterbacks in the draft, as he previously started two seasons at Georgia.

He threw a career-high 30 touchdown passes last season, and while he was picked off 12 times, Beck came through in the clutch in big games and nearly led the Hurricanes to an upset of undefeated Indiana in the title game.

While Simpson and Beck enter the draft on high notes, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State's Drew Allar feel more like buy-low candidates, as they both struggled through injuries and poor play in 2025 after great 2024 seasons.

Nussmeier threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024, but an abdominal injury severely limited him last season, and he finished with just 1,927 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions in nine games.

Allar likely could have entered the 2025 NFL draft and been a first-round pick after throwing for 3,327 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight picks, and leading the Nittany Lions to the CFP semifinals.

He decided to return to college in 2025, though, and his draft stock undoubtedly took a major hit.

Allar threw for 1,100 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions in six games, and an ankle injury cut his season short.

However, Allar has prototypical size at 6'5" and 228 pounds to go along with a big arm and mobility.

Because of that, he likely has more unrealized potential than any quarterback in the draft, and he would make a ton of sense as a developmental prospect in Miami if the organization can find another starting option for 2026.