If you looked up a definition of the term “dumpster fire,” you probably wouldn’t be shocked to find a picture of the 2019 Miami Dolphins next to it. The Dolphins have been flat out awful this year, and that’s generally by design. The Miami Dolphins did not plan to compete this year under new head coach Brian Flores and are looking to get as far under the cap as possible while they stock draft picks and plan for the future. 

That means the Dolphins are historically bad on the field right now and that they may get the No. 1 pick in the draft come April. They may be tempted to use that pick to take a quarterback. Here’s exactly why they shouldn’t. 

The Miami Dolphins have a lot of draft picks in 2020

As part of their rebuilding phase, the Miami Dolphins have made it their goal to acquire as many draft picks as possible to restructure their roster with. According to the Miami Sun-Sentinel, they have 13 picks at their disposal during the entirety of the 2020 NFL Draft. That may or may not include the No. 1 pick. 

Even if it does, the Dolphins would be well suited to trade it for more picks. The Dolphins are far from one player away from competing and they will likely not hit on all their picks.

Even so, the draft is a numbers game — by stockpiling a lot of picks, they increase the likelihood they’ll add multiple players who can contribute. Trading out of their high pick for more picks gives them an even better chance. They’ll be able to get better at more positions than just quarterback. 

The best quarterback out there is in the class of 2021

There are three great quarterbacks who will be targeted in the NFL draft this upcoming offseason: Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, and LSU’s Joe Burrow. While all three should be stellar pros, the Dolphins should wait for another prospect to emerge the next year: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. 

Take a look at what Lawrence has accomplished at the collegiate level so far, through the eighth game of his sophomore season:

• 396 completions on 606 attempts for 5,089 yards
• 47 touchdowns
• Passer efficiency rating of 157.5 
• 8.4 yards per attempt
• One College Football Playoff appearance with a national championship
• Overall win-loss record of 22-0

Lawrence hasn’t quite been the passer in 2019 he was in 2018, but he has a devastating skill set that should translate nicely to the pro game. The Miami Dolphins should stock up their roster this year and go for Lawrence next offseason. Speaking of that roster …

The Miami Dolphins’ roster is an absolute disaster right now 

It’s clear the Miami Dolphins are in rebuilding mode, but it’s beyond that. Based on the team they currently have this year and the results on the field, the Dolphins are clearly not going to compete in 2020. They don’t have the talent to do so. 

Bringing in a new quarterback with a threadbare roster is likely to severely inhibit that quarterback’s development. All Miami has to do is look at the development of David Carr.

The Houston Texans made Carr their first-ever overall draft pick in the 2002 NFL draft. Coming out of college, Carr had a lot of promise. What didn’t have a lot of promise was the Texans’ offensive line. They allowed Carr to be sacked liberally. He even set the record for most times being sacked in a season with 76.  

The Dolphins may as well be an expansion team, and they do not have the pieces in place offensively to protect a rookie next year. They also don’t have the weapons at the skill positions to give that quarterback the tools he needs to compete. 

A better solution? Spend the next couple of seasons stocking the cupboard with talent. It may be tough to do that because it means readying themselves for another year of poor play. But it helps set up their next quarterback for long term success.