Why Wilson Was McDaniel's Top Choice at QB

Miami’s backup quarterback situation was one of the biggest offseason storylines, considering the team failed to score more than 15 points in four of the six games Tua Tagovailoa missed last season.

The Dolphins pursued Zach Wilson, a top quarterback prospect entering the 2021 draft, signing him to a one-year deal early in free agency. In his first media session following Wilson’s signing, coach Mike McDaniel discussed the thought process behind bringing in the former BYU standout to back up Tagovailoa.

“What I see in Zach is the experience of being the second pick in the draft, being the starter Week 1 and then not fulfilling the rookie contract; that is behind him,” McDaniel said at the annual league meetings in Palm Beach, Florida. “That’s an exciting prospect because you can’t put a measurement on that human ability that is huge at the quarterback position.”

Wilson, 25, spent three seasons with the Jets, and the team had a 12-21 record in his starts. He threw for 6,293 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions. He spent last season with the Denver Broncos, serving as the third-string quarterback behind rookie Bo Nix and veteran backup Jarrett Stidham.

Despite Wilson struggling at the NFL level, McDaniel’s view of Wilson dates back to his time with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. The 49ers, in need of a quarterback ahead of the 2021 NFL draft, traded three first-round picks to the Dolphins (including the 12th pick in that draft) for the third overall selection — ultimately using it to draft North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, one pick after the Jets took Wilson.

“I watched every snap of [Wilson’s] collegiate play, and he was a phenomenal talent that in my opinion didn’t have reps in an NFL pocket yet,” McDaniel said. “Like at BYU he was launching it from about 10 and 11 yards deep and you’re not in the phone booth, and so in my estimation, there was going to be some nuanced growth to his game that I think it is close to impossible to excel that early in that new form of football that he was playing.” 

McDaniel was right, and Wilson had issues operating from the pocket early in his professional career. He completed 56% of passes for 2,334 yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, with the Jets going 3-10 in his starts.

The Dolphins front office and coaching staff hope Tagovailoa is available for all 17 games. However, if needed, McDaniel believes that Wilson’s talent and years of development give him a chance to change the narrative of his NFL career.

That said,  there’s plenty of risk relying on a quarterback with more interceptions than touchdowns behind a starter that’s missed at least four games in four of the last five seasons, especially entering a must-win season for the coaching staff and front office. 

“It’s like anything for all of us; if you have adversity in your life, that can be a source of strength and growth, or it could be a source of all right, that’s what defines you and you can’t get over that,” McDaniel said. “It’s an inexact science, but we thought he was the best option for us.”

THE DOLPHINS ISSUES AT BACKUP QUARTERBACK

Miami learned the hard way last season that having a reliable backup quarterback is crucial. A Week 2 concussion against the Buffalo Bills and a late-season hip injury limited Tagovailoa to 11 games —and the Dolphins were caught unprepared.

Skylar Thompson, a 2022 seventh-round pick out of Kansas State, started the year as the No. 2 quarterback. He averaged 5.7 yards per attempt, completing 21 of 33 passes for 187 yards against the Bills and Seahawks. 

Thompson struggled when called upon, failing to throw a touchdown and appearing in only one other game in relief. In Week 12, he entered with a 24-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but his second snap was fumbled and returned 63 yards for a touchdown by New England’s Christian Gonzalez. That miscue forced Tagovailoa back onto the field to close out what had been a rout.

Miami added Tyler Huntley early in the season from the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. Despite little time to adjust, he did win two games while completing 65 percent of passes for 829 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. 

Tim Boyle relieved Thompson in Week 3 against Seattle and Huntley in Week 7 against Indianapolis. He completed 15 of 26 attempts for 153 yards, making him Miami’s fourth quarterback to see action. The Dolphins paid the price for not investing in a backup, finishing with a 2-4 record in Tagovailoa’s absence. 

FREE AGENT BACKUP QB MARKET

Given the struggles at backup quarterback last season, Miami needed to upgrade the position this offseason. The addition of Wilson brings potential upside but also significant risk.

Marcus Mariota, another former No. 2 overall pick who would have been a logical fit in Miami, after completing 34 of 44 passes for 364 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions while backing up Washington rookie Jayden Daniels last season, decided to return to the Commanders.

The Commanders gave Mariota a one-year contract worth $8 million — roughly $2 million more than Miami gave Wilson — to return to Washington as the second-string quarterback. 

Former seventh-round pick Cooper Rush, who played in 35 games over seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, signed a two-year, $6.2 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency. Last season, he played in 12 games, completing 187 of 308 passes for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just five interceptions.

Meanwhile, Wilson has played in at least 12 games twice but has never thrown more than nine touchdowns in a season.

Former Dolphins backup Jacoby Brissett signed a two-year deal worth $12.5 million with the Arizona Cardinals, and Jameis Winston’s two-year contract with the New York Giants is worth $8 million. Mac Jones, who like Wilson was a first-round pick in 2021, signed a two-year, $8.4 million deal in San Francisco. 

Outside of Mariota, Russell Wilson ($10.5 million) and Daniel Jones ($14 million) are the other quarterbacks to sign one-year deals worth more than Zach Wilson. One key difference is that both Russell Wilson and Jones have a chance to win the starting job on their new teams.

McDaniel, though, said Zach Wilson was the QB he wanted all along.

“To be quite frank, it’s an inexact science, but we thought he was the best option for us," McDaniel said. "I think he was very much – I guess you guys wouldn’t know this, I guess you guys are flying blind so let me help you out – he was a direct calculated target. We thought that was a way that the Miami Dolphins could get better and are excited to see how he seizes that opportunity.”

More Miami Dolphins Coverage: