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Dolphins bolster QB room by adding former division rival
Quarterback Mike White. Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Dolphins bolster QB room by adding former division rival

Miami took a stride in insuring itself against potential injury to QB Tua Tagovailoa on Monday by agreeing to terms on a contract with former New York Jets QB Mike White.

The Dolphins made a bigger move on Sunday by trading for star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who joins Xavien Howard and Kader Kohou to form arguably the strongest set of cornerbacks in the NFL.

The Ramsey addition didn't have an effect on the team's chances of winning a potentially stacked AFC East, however. Per Oddschecker, the Dolphins (+400) sit behind the Bills (+120) and Jets (+260). Buffalo's spot as the favorite is justified while it's fairer to question the Jets' placement ahead of Miami.

A lot of the support being thrown at New York rests in both Aaron Rodgers joining the team and him not looking like 2022 Rodgers.

The Dolphins admittedly have quarterback concerns of their own with Tagovailoa, which could be why oddsmakers are skeptical of Miami's chances of winning the division. He suffered two diagnosed concussions while a third was re-classified as a back injury.

Despite his injuries, Tagovailoa had his best season in 2022, head coach Mike McDaniel's first year in charge. He was 259-of-400 (64.8 percent) for 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Among players with at least 150 pass attempts in 2022, his passer rating (105.5) ranked first.

Backups Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson had little success, combining to go 1-3 in four starts with more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns (five).

White's 2022 numbers don't reveal much of an upgrade on the surface. He went 1-3 in four starts and also threw more interceptions (four) than touchdowns (three) with the Jets.

Football Outsiders' Defense-adjusted Value over Average (DVOA) metric measures how each unit would perform against a league-average opponent, and reveals White can be a serviceable backup option despite what his numbers suggested.

New York's pass offense was 6.3 percent better than average in White's four starts as opposed to just 1.6 percent better than average in its other games. While not a significant upgrade, it's a much better sign than if the Jets had experienced a sharp decline with White at QB.

Tagovailoa is the Dolphins' best option for a successful 2023, something the organization is banking on with its major acquisition of Ramsey.

White's addition has less hoopla surrounding it but could be even more important for a team whose biggest question this offseason is the health of its starting quarterback.

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