Talk about something that has come completely out of left field. Ryan Fitzpatrick has led his Miami Dolphins to a 3-3 record heading into their Week 7 bye. He’s playing great football. Despite this, rumors have continued to persist out of South Beach that Tua Tagovailoa would soon be under center.
That’s now come to fruition.
Miami Dolphins news: Team shockingly names Tua Tagovailoa starting quarterback
A top-five pick out of Alabama back in April, Tagovailoa made his NFL debut in mop up duty during a blowout Week 6 win over the New York Jets. There was absolutely no indication before this news broke that the rookie would get the nod over Fitzpatrick for the Dolphins’ next game. It’s obviously some shocking news around the football world.
Related: NFL Week 7 schedule, predictions
Fitzpatrick has led Miami to wins in three of its past four games. The Dolphins have outscored their past two opponents, the 49ers and Jets, by a combined margin of 67-17. During that span, Fitzpatrick tallied six touchdowns compared to two interceptions.
Miami Dolphins quarterback situation
One of the most-respected veteran quarterbacks in the NFL, it’s hard to imagine Fitzpatrick putting up too much of a stink when it comes to this. He had to know the writing was on the wall at some point in the near future.
Even then, the abrupt nature of the Dolphins’ decision to start Tagovailoa seems to indicate that this was the plan from the get. Whether Fitzpatrick knew about it behind the scenes remains to be seen.
The veteran has tallied 1,535 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions en route to leading the Dolphins to a 3-3 record and nearly 27 points per game.
Miami Dolphins schedule
This could have played a role in head coach Brian Flores’ thought process. The Dolphins have a bye in Week 7, meaning that they can give Tagovailoa additional time to take QB1 reps during practice. After that, it’s not necessarily an easy road for the young quarterback.
- Week 8: VS- Los Angeles Rams (Fifth-best scoring defense)
- Week 9: AT- Arizona Cardinals (Second-best scoring defense)
- Week 10: VS- Los Angeles Chargers (14th-best scoring defense)
- Week 11: AT- Denver Broncos (11th-best scoring defense)
At the very least, Tagovailoa will now get on the field as a starter in the NFL less than a calendar year after he suffered what initially seemed to be a career-threatening hip injury at Alabama.
That’s great news.