Though ESPN’s Adam Schefter drummed up chatter about the Miami Dolphins potentially calling the Pittsburgh Steelers about QB Russell Wilson, it doesn’t sound like they have or have any intentions of giving GM Omar Khan a ring about making a quarterback move midseason. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tamped down any speculation during a Friday appearance on the Rich Eisen Show.
“At last check, the Dolphins hadn’t called either of those teams,” Pelissero told Eisen after he mentioned the Steelers and Denver Broncos as possible trade partners.
Schefter floated the idea during an early-week appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. In fairness and context, Schefter did not report that as news but gave his opinion on what the Dolphins could or ought to do given Tua Tagovailoa’s latest concussion, which landed him on injured reserve. It’s left Miami in a difficult spot at quarterback and an issue compounded by Skylar Thompson suffering a chest injury in last week’s blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Despite his lengthy and downright scary concussion history, Tagovailoa is expected to return later this season. He was cleared to fly and join his teammates on the plane ride to Seattle, a sign he’s moving along through protocol at a relatively quick pace and opening the door for him to return as soon as he’s eligible to come off IR in a few weeks. Per Pelissero, the team would prefer to manage its quarterback situation until Tagovailoa returns than trade draft capital for a short-term fix.
“He wants to be engaged,” Pelissero said of Tagovailoa. “He’s been in meetings, he was on the sideline, he was talking to the quarterbacks. That all tracks with what we’ve been reporting, which is that Tua intends to be back on the field.”
Trading for a quarterback and getting him up to speed in the offense only to start for a couple weeks isn’t worth the investment in the Dolphins’ mind, knowing he’d go right back to the bench once Tagovailoa is cleared. That quarterback would still hold value as a backup should there be another concussion or injury, but it doesn’t sound like a move Miami wants to make. In the interim, the Dolphins could turn to former Baltimore Ravens QB Tyler “Snoop” Huntley, who has filled in adequately for Lamar Jackson over the years.
Even if Miami went quarterback hunting, there was no guarantee Pittsburgh would’ve been its dance partner. Though Justin Fields is playing well enough to hold onto the starting job, Russell Wilson would still be an asset as a backup should Fields get hurt and Wilson holds a no-trade clause in his contract, allowing him to turn down a particular team.
The only thing that might motivate Pittsburgh to trade him is if Wilson requests to be traded. With a “volunteers, not hostages” mentality, the Steelers could oblige but even then, the Dolphins wouldn’t be viewed as buyers.
