The Miami Dolphins have a quarterback issue to solve. While neither new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan nor new head coach Jeff Hafley said that Tua Tagovailoa’s time with the franchise is done, there were plenty of hints during an introductory press conference about their plan at the position.
And although Hafley has spent his coaching career working with defensive players, he knows exactly what he’d like from the Dolphins quarterback of the future.
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“I want a winner,” Hafley told NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe in an interview Thursday. “I want a guy who just has got it mentally; he’s gotta have it physically. But I want a guy who’s got it up here (points to head) and I want a guy who’s got it in his heart. And I want a guy who’s going to be able to walk into a room and everyone will just say, ‘That’s our quarterback.'”
“I want a guy who’s going to be one of the first ones in the building. I want a guy who’s just gonna love ball, live ball, and grind. And that’s what [Sullivan] is about to do, I guess.”
Shortly after the introductory press conference, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said there’s still a widespread belief around the NFL that Tagovailoa’s days of playing for the Dolphins are over.
While Hafley suggested that Sullivan is “about to” go find a quarterback that fits his wish list of traits, the coach was also careful to say that there are players currently on the Dolphins roster to consider too.
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“There’s good players here, so I’m excited to meet them and see where we’re at,” Hafley said.
Along with Tagovailoa, the Dolphins have 2025 seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers and former Raiders quarterback Cam Miller under contract next season. Veteran backup Zach Wilson will become a free agent when his contract automatically voids in February.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley lays out what kind of quarterback he wants