The Dolphins’ quarterback situation has been a roller coaster of emotions going all the way back to last March when the team first signed QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. There was joy that the Ryan Tannehill era was over, followed by the doubt of signing Fitzpatrick if the goal was to “tank”. And then there was the cautious optimism of trading for QB Josh Rosen, followed by the frustration of Miami’s handling of Rosen and the decision to start Fitzpatrick over him to open the season.
Fast forward a month from there and it was Rosen’s show and while things weren’t all that much better on the scoreboard, Rosen had some promising flashes and was declared the starter for the rest of the season. That declaration lasted less than three quarters and Fitzpatrick hasn’t looked back, since leading the Dolphins to two consecutive wins.
The most impressive twist to this story? Fitzpatrick has played pretty good — staying within himself, using his legs to extend plays and doing a great job of working around a balky offensive line to pick up third downs and extend drives. There isn’t the same reckless abandon to his game that NFL fans have been so accustomed to seeing. And it is getting noticed.
No one is going to confuse Ryan Fitzpatrick as a long-term answer for the Dolphins, Father Time will see to that. But getting quarterback play that’s not among the five or six worst situations in the NFL is great progress from where this team started the season in September. And that’s exactly where Fitzpatrick ranks among NFL starters according to an NFL.com panel: 26th in the league.
The “Fitzmagic” hasn’t had the peaks of recent years, but the outbursts and flurries of first downs have positioned the Dolphins to notch two straight wins — and the ranking is well deserved. Heck, Fitzpatrick probably deserves to be even higher on the list! You can make the case that he’s playing better than Daniel Jones and Jared Goff at this point in time, especially considering the supporting casts.
But for now, Dolphins fans can enjoy QB play that’s on the rise — and hope that trend continues next year with another fresh face in the room.
