Miami fans got a cookie late in Sunday’s win against the Jets, when a certain rookie rookie quarterback finally made his debut in mop up time. Soon enough, they’ll get the full meal. The Dolphins are officially promoting Tua Tagovailoa to starter.
This just in: pic.twitter.com/byikxkJW68
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 20, 2020
Dolphins Promoting Tua Tagovailoa
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Tagovailoa is Miami’s new starter, while Ryan Fitzpatrick goes to the bench to assume duties as QB2. Tagovailoa, 22, was the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and was one of the highest-ranked quarterback prospects in his draft class. The expectations are high, and with good reason.
To be clear, it’s not as if Fitzpatrick has performed poorly. In fact, he completed 70.1 percent of his passes, threw more touchdowns (10) than interceptions (7), and posted a respectable 95.0 passer rating in his six starts. But four of Fitzpatrick’s seven interceptions came in the last three games. And at age 37, he wasn’t ever a long-term option for the franchise. Thus, it was only a matter of time before Tagovailoa took over.
I suppose the Dolphins could really pull a shocker if they were bold enough to trade Fitzpatrick during their bye week. Because Fitzpatrick’s play was admirable through six weeks, he could be an attractive short-term trade piece for a team desperate enough to seek quarterback help at this time. Maybe the Cowboys, Giants, or Washington’s football team dials up Miami to see what the cost of doing business could be. Because after watching the Andy Dalton experience play out on Monday Night Football, I wouldn’t blame Dallas if it was looking for help this morning. After all … someone has to win the NFC East.
In the end, the timing feels right to make this move — even if it comes as a surprise to some. Getting Tagovailoa some low-pressure reps before the bye week, then unleashing him fully after the bye against the Rams is as good as of the handling of this could get.