Ryan Tannehill might not be the Dolphins’ starter for long

Selected eighth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, Tannehill became an immediate starter for Miami, completing 58.3 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns, 13 picks, and nearly 3,300 yards as a rookie. He improved on those numbers a year later, finishing with a completion rate north of 60 percent, 24 TDs to 17 picks, and just 87 yards shy of 4,000.

However, under new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, Tannehill has regressed. Lazor came over this offseason from Chip Kelly’s offensive machine in Philadelphia. But outside of a 33-point Week 1 showing against the lackluster New England Patriots defense, Miami’s offense has sputtered out, producing only 25 points in its last two games combined. Tannehill, a Texas A&M product, is on pace to set career lows in completion percentage (56.5), and yards per pass attempt (5.0). Tannehill’s struggles on deep passes have been a source of considerable frustration for Miami, especially when considering the resources the team has poured into its wide receivers.

In 2013, the Dolphins committed a combined $90 million to Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline with the intent of supporting Tannehill with reliable downfield targets. Unfortunately for Miami, their quarterback’s accuracy issues have prevented him from consistently connecting with them for explosive plays. Neither Wallace nor Hartline finished in the top 20 in total receptions of 20 yards or more in 2013, with both currently sitting outside the top 30 this year. While the receivers share some of the blame for these shortcomings, the fault lies primarily with the quarterback.

Shortly after Philbin threw Tannehill’s job status into doubt, Lazor contradicted his boss:

Still, if Tannehill’s struggles continue, Miami’s hot-seat head coach may have no choice but to make a change.

For his part, Tannehill chalks up his shortcomings with downfield passing to turnover aversion.

If the Dolphins bench Tannehill, journeyman Matt Moore will assume starting duties. In his seven-year career, Moore has completed just 58.9 percent of his passes. However, he averages just a hair under 7 yards per attempt, a vast improvement over Tannehill’s production this year.

While Moore is a heady veteran capable of running the Dolphins’ offense, he’s not a starter. Philbin and his coaches know that, and yet are considering a change at quarterback anyway. Such a move to him would signal the end for Tannehill in Miami. Very rarely does a one-time quarterbacks-of-the-future get benched this far into his career and return as a starter for the same team. In the few exceptions such as Alex Smith, they start only until a new franchise signal caller is located.

It’s surprising that Miami would put itself in this sort of position with such an investment like Tannehill, but a team in need of serious answers will do whatever is necessary.