The Miami Dolphins named Ryan Fitzpatrick the team’s starting quarterback just moments after the team’s fourth and final preseason contest of August. And now, just two weeks into the Dolphins’ season, the Dolphins have made a change — with league sources stating that it will be young Josh Rosen under center this Sunday when the Dolphins face off against the Cowboys.
Why now? The Dolphins chose Ryan Fitzpatrick for his leadership, body language and command of the huddle. Was this decision really as simple as seeing just how useless those variables have been for the Dolphins over the course of the first two games?
When the Dolphins were still deciding between the two, we wrote about how Brian Flores had to choose between two ideologies. The first, which favored Fitzpatrick, was the process. Fitzpatrick, a seasoned veteran, was a master of the pre-snap process, identifying coverages and setting protections.
The second favored Rosen: results. Rosen experienced more production on the field throughout the preseason and he also showed more traits. Mobility within the pocket, throwing on the move, velocity — all of these things favored Rosen.
And Flores chose the process over the results, primarily because he had a young team that needed stewardship on the field.
Is two extra weeks really all that was needed for Rosen to advance his handle of the offense to a point where the Dolphins felt comfortable on the field? Is this a hope to see if Rosen can be a catalyst for the offense in the same way he was in the preseason? It’s hard to put a thumb on why now. Many accepted the Dolphins would use Ryan Fitzpatrick for the first month of the season, when the Dolphins faced a murder’s row of playoff teams from 2018.
But instead, Rosen has been cast into the fire halfway through — and will face a tough task in a ferocious Dallas defense. Regardless of the motivation, the time is now for Rosen to take the helm and try to prove he’s the quarterback Miami’s been looking for this whole time.
Fingers crossed.
