The Search for a Backup QB And What (Who) Flores Might Want

Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores knows exactly what he wants in a backup quarterback

When Brian Flores listed the qualities he'd like to have in his backup quarterback, the Miami Dolphins head coach more of less was describing Ryan Fitzpatrick.

So maybe it made perfect sense then for Flores to declare he'd like having Fitzpatrick on the roster again in 2021 if Fitzpatrick doesn't end up leaving as an unrestricted free agent.

"Specific to Fitz, obviously you know we have a lot of respect and admiration for him," Flores said Thursday morning. "Look, he's tough, he's smart, he's competitive. He loves to play. He embodies all the characteristics we're looking for here.

"Honestly, we'd love to have him back, but I think this is a very unique year from a cap standpoint. Obviously we just had the cap number set yesterday, so those conversations are fluid."

RELATED: Fitzpatrick Not Done Yet

The biggest obstacle to Fitzpatrick returning would be his desire to legitimately compete for a starting job, something that's not going to happen in Miami with the Dolphins committed to Tua Tagovailoa — if they don't trade for Deshaun Watson.

There are some teams for which Fitzpatrick might have a legitimate opportunity to start, teams like Washington, maybe Chicago, maybe Denver, maybe even Houston if the Texans decide they have no choice but to trade Watson.

Fitzpatrick actually might be one of the most attractive options for team looking for a quarterback in free agency after posting a 95.6 passer rating last season.

Other veterans available in free agency include Cam Newton, Jacoby Brissett, Andy Dalton, Tyrod Taylor and Brian Hoyer.

Flores specifically mentioned the characteristics of Fitzpatrick before saying this about his criteria for the position in general: "We’re looking for somebody with those characteristics in the backup quarterback position — someone who is smart, someone who we feel like … hopefully this doesn't happen but if he had to go in, we could still win the ballgame. There's a few guys out there and we've taken a look at them all. And we're still kind of putting that plan in place, honestly, with just kind of setting up the number yesterday and those meetings are kind of ongoing and couple that with a number of releases that are happening really on a day-to-day basis — we're almost re-ranking on a daily basis.

"Those characteristics of what we're looking for: tough, smart, competitive, obviously accurate and all the things from a talent standpoint that you need at the quarterback position, decision-making and command of the offense. Hopefully we'll get that sorted out in some form or fashion.”