The curious case of Matt Moore

A $5.5 million salary cap number for a quarterback is a pretty good deal if he is your starting quarterback. When it is your backup, it is a little harder to understand, especially when your starter is only a $4.03 million cap number.  That's exactly the situation the Miami Dolphins had last year, when backup quarterback Matt Moore had the 22nd highest salary cap number among quarterbacks.

Moore is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and likely will not be back with the team. There could be an argument, however, that Miami should try to bring back the eight-year veteran.

The Dolphins do not currently have a legitimate backup behind starter Ryan Tannehill. After Moore, who hits the open market in March, the team only has futures contract quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson.

There are a lot of options available to the Dolphins this offseason. There are free agents like Jake Locker, Kyle Orton, Christian Ponder, Mark Sanchez, and Matt Flynn who could all be had, and probably for less than Moore. The Dolphins could look to draft a quarterback. The could also trust that Bethel-Thompson will be good enough if something were to happen to Tannehill.

Or, they could find a way to make a deal to bring back Moore.

Moore could price himself out of a backup role with the Dolphins. Moore could be looking for one more chance at a starting position somewhere in the league. He could be ready to move on from Miami, and there is no way to complete a new deal.

Moore is a known commodity for the Dolphins coaching staff.  He knows the system and he knows the players. Moore would be able to immediately slide into the starting position if something were to happen to Tannehill. A new quarterback may not be ready when he is needed.

A top-notch, ready-to-start backup quarterback is not going to be cheap, but it is something every team wants, even as they hope it is something that they do not need. Moore can be that for the Dolphins.

Will they be willing to meet the asking price? Will Moore drop his price? Do the Dolphins have a plan in place already, with someone else in mind?

There are a lot of questions that have to be answered when it comes to the case of Matt Moore and any potential future he may have with the Dolphins.