Dolphins would be smart to consider adding QB Daniel Jones

The Danny Dimes era came to an abrupt end for the New York Giants with the former no. 6 total choices will be released on Fridayjust a few days after he was benched by the team.

While Daniel Jones is set to hit waivers, it would be a shock if an NFL team was willing to claim him and assume the remainder of the four-year, $160 million extension he signed with the Giants in 2023. And since he inevitably clears waivers, he will be free to sign with any team.

The Miami Dolphins would be wise to jump at the chance to then add Jones.

Earlier this season, the Dolphins learned a painful lesson: their offense simply doesn’t work without Tua Tagovailoa at the helm. Miami managed just three points in Skylar Thompson’s Week 3 start, and it scored just one touchdown in each of the three games Tyler Huntley started.

Since Tagovailoa returned from injured reserve, the offense has returned to life. He has completed 77.7 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and one interception over the past four weeks, and the Dolphins have averaged 27.8 points per game. match.

But there’s little doubt that if he goes down with another injury, Miami’s season is over. Both Thompson and Huntley – who will soon compete for the no. 2 on the depth chart – made it abundantly clear that they are unable to replicate Tagovailoa’s success.

Could Jones?

It’s hard to say, but there are some indications he could fit in Mike McDaniel’s offense. Last season, Jones on average 2.54 seconds per pass attempt — nowhere near Tagovailoa’s blazing 2.25 seconds — but still top 10 in the NFL. Jones completed an NFL-best 80.4 percent of the passes he released in less than 2.5 seconds. Tagovailoa completed 73.4 percent.

Miami’s offense is completely dependent on its quarterback being able to deliver the ball quickly and accurately. While it’s unlikely that Jones could do it, there’s pretty conclusive proof that no one currently on the Dolphins roster can do it anywhere near how Tagovailoa can.

At least Jones offers hope that the Dolphins offense could survive another stretch without Tagovailoa long enough to stay in the postseason hunt.

But perhaps even more enticing is the fact that the acquisition of Jones will likely mean a free draft pick for the Dolphins in the future.

If the former top 10 draft pick and $160 million quarterback leaves as a free agent in March and signs elsewhere, that would likely be enough to qualify his last team a compensatory draft pick in 2026. Even mid-level backup quarterback money is usually enough to qualify, as when the New York Jets received a seventh-round pick in 2024 because of the two-year, $8 million deal Mike White signed with the Dolphins in 2023.

Is Jones the long-term answer to the Dolphins’ backup quarterback woes? Probably not. But he could be a band-aid for a team that is clearly devoid of a solution and perhaps provide a little draft capital to start with.