With Ryan Tannehill now in South Beach, many Miami Dolphins fans question whether it was a good idea to trade Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall. With the free agent market slim, should the Dolphins seek someone like Donald Driver?
Loss of Brandon Marshall puts Tannehill in tough spot for first NFL season
None of the draft experts or coaches hated when Ryan Tannehill got his numbered called at number eight by Miami. Everyone agreed he has all the tools for NFL success. The only problem is his inexperience. It was the hope of Miami that new head coach Joe Philbin, who helped mold and coach quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Matt Flynn, could resolve that problem as quickly as possible. Unlike last year, Tannehill will have the benefit of a full offseason to prepare. Even so he hasn't exactly walked in to the best situation. Weeks before the draft, the Miami Dolphins decided to trade Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears. His loss could expose the lack of depth at receiver Miami has. No amount of minicamp drills can solve that. Perhaps that's why the trade deals aren't over for them. A number of teams around the league have built up a wealth of talent at wide receiver. At the right price maybe Tannehill could get some extra help going into the 2012 season.
DWTS run can't mask Driver's waning time with Green Bay Packers
Most NFL fans know the receiver side of Donald Driver. For the longest time he has become the model player for the model franchise. He caught passes from Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and then won a Super Bowl with MVP Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers veteran has earned the love of his fans and the respect of his peers. That may explain why he was such an excellent candidate for the hit show Dancing With the Stars. As his promising run continues into the late rounds however, another less happy dance is going through the Green Bay front office. Driver is 37 years old and the way the Packers build their team through the draft makes old players expendable. It already happened to their one-time Pro Bowl left tackle Chad Clifton. Given the wealth of talent Green Bay has at wide receiver, a trade or release for Driver might become reality soon. While he's said he wants to retire a Packer, his history with Joe Philbin and dancing popularity would fit right in with the rebuilding Dolphins.
Trading Brandon Marshall took serious guts. Knowing Ryan Tannehill was their man from the start the Miami Dolphins still saw fit to trade away their best receiver given his off-the-field issues. Now the team must scramble to find help for their new franchise quarterback. With NFL free agency picked clean, trade might present the only option. The Green Bay Packers have plenty of choices but the ageless Donald Driver would come the cheapest. It's not ideal but it's better than what Miami has now.
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Comments: 4
The Dolphins might want to pair Tannehill with a vet, but I think Jabbar Gafney is a better pick for them. He's younger, and this point he's a better receiver, and he's a free agent.