Reaction - Dolphins Sign David Garrard

On Monday night the Miami Dolphins signed a one-year deal with former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard, who will compete with Matt Moore for the starting role.


Like a leper looking for a prom date, the Dolphins have managed to pursue and scare off all of the top free-agent quarterbacks this season. They were not one of the top three teams that Peyton Manning considered; they gave Matt Flynn a low-ball offer to play with his old coach, whom he spurned; and they couldn't even score Alex Smith on the rebound from the Manning-smitten 49ers. With Chad Henne leaving the Dolphins for Jacksonville last week, it's like the two Florida teams agreed to swap cross-state mediocrity. If Garrard wins the job, he'll become the Dolphins' 14th starting quarterback in the last nine seasons.


Garrard was drafted by the Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2002 draft. He backed up Mark Brunell and Byron Leftwich during the first four years of his career and was the primary starter in Jacksonville for five years from 2006-2010. Five days before the start of last season, he was suddenly released in favor of rookie Blaine Gabbert. The Dolphins were among Garrard's suitors back in September before back surgery on a herniated disc forced Garrard to sit out the entire year. A season later the Dolphins hope the 34-year-old quarterback can bring to Miami some of the quality game management that led Jacksonville to its only playoff win this century.


Fantasy Spin:


Garrard's best fantasy season was in 2008 when he finished as the 12th-best quarterback, and he finished the next two years only slightly lower at 15th and 14th. He was a solid QB2 for three years in a row, and he did it with fairly mediocre receivers. Unfortunately, after sitting out all of last year this late in his career, it's unlikely that Garrard will return to his old form. Moore isn't the long-term answer in Miami, but he showed enough promise in the second half of last season that he should maintain the starting job over Garrard.


Hopefully Miami can do a better job of improving their receiving corps than they have with attracting a quarterback upgrade, but I'm not holding my breath. After the departure of Brandon Marshall, the Dolphins are left with Devone Bess, Brian Hartline, Anthony Fasano, and Reggie Bush as their primary pass-catchers. Bess is the only one among them with a season of more than 800 receiving yards. Even if I knew for sure that Moore was going to start, I'd have a tough time recommending him as a QB2 without a stronger supporting cast. Both Garrard and Moore are easily outside of my top 20. [Editor's note: The Dolphins should also add a receiver or two in the draft.]


It's still possible that Miami signs another free agent quarterback or nabs Ryan Tannehill in the first round of April's draft, but shy of trading for Tim Tebow, I don't think any of that will improve the fantasy value of their starting quarterback. Who knows? Maybe by season's end Pat Devlin will be the starter.


For more thoughts on why Matt Moore should lead the Dolphins next year, check out Khaled Elsayed's article. Be sure to read Bryan Fontaine's article to learn more about the fantasy impact of Brandon Marshall's trade to the Chicago Bears. Visit our fantasy articles page to keep up with our detailed analysis of the big free-agent signings.


Share your thoughts and chat with Austin on Twitter @AustinNFL.

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