Analyzing the Big Twist in the Dolphins QB Competition
Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has consistently said there's competition for every spot, though all indications plus logic said that veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick was going to be the likely starter at quarterback for the season opener against the New England Patriots on Sept. 13.
But Fitzpatrick missed practice Friday for what Flores said were personal reasons, leaving the work on this day to 2018 Cardinals first-round pick Josh Rosen and 2020 Dolphins first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa.
Beyond that, it opened the door for all types of speculation.
While it's unfair to speculate about what caused Fitzpatrick to leave the team, there clearly are factors at play here that would raise some doubt as to his future.
The obvious one, of course, is the COVID-19 pandemic. The second is the fact that Fitzpatrick and his wife have seven children. And then there's Fitzpatrick's age.
Fitzpatrick is 37 years old and his NFL career is in its final stages. He said himself a few weeks ago that he was a placeholder for the time Tagovailoa was ready to take over as the starting quarterback.
The deadline for NFL players to opt out of the 2020 because of the pandemic already has come and gone, but who's to stop Fitzpatrick from simply retiring?
That Flores' announcement came the day after former Dolphins practice squad quarterback Jake Rudock visited the team just leads to more speculation.
Now, we're not reporting or suggesting this is what's going to happen with Fitzpatrick. Shoot, he could be back at practice Saturday for all we know.
But to dismiss the possibility that Fitzpatrick is gone for good would be unwise.
So what does Fitzpatrick's absence mean for the Dolphins?
In the short term, it logically means more reps with the first team for both Rosen and Tagovailoa and bringing in Rudock to prevent overuse of either.
If Fitzpatrick does indeed walk away permanently or at least long enough to miss the start of the regular season, one would expect Rosen to start at New England on Sept. 13 because he's simply got too much of an experience advantage over Tua.
That's, of course, unless Tua start badly outplaying Rosen at practice, which hasn't happened yet. Instead, if anything, Rosen has looked the sharper of the two.
And if we're playing the speculation game, here's another one for you: What happens if Fitzpatrick does retire, Rosen does start the opener and suddenly starts playing up to his draft status?
It certainly would leave the Dolphins with an interesting dilemma, albeit a good one. After all, who wouldn't like to have two very good young quarterbacks on their roster.
But that's down the road and many developments away from being reality.
Where we stand today is Fitzpatrick missing just one practice. But it's a situation that obviously bears close monitoring.
