The Ryan Fitzpatrick era has apparently come to an end in Miami, and Josh Rosen will get a second attempt at securing a starting job.
The Dolphins decided this week that second-year quarterback Josh Rosen would be taking over the starting job, with the journeyman Fitzpatrick going to the bench. As Pro Football Talk reported, the move came just two days after Dolphins coach Brian Flores said that Fitzpatrick would remain the starter after a disastrous beginning to the season that has seen the Dolphins outscored by a margin of 102-10 in two losses.
Ryan Fitzpatrick was equally ineffective as his Dolphins teammates, throwing for 274 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. Rosen has not been much better, completing just eight of 21 passes this year for 102 yards and two interceptions in relieving Fitzpatrick.
There was widespread belief that the Dolphins would be moving to Rosen at some point during the season, though Fitzpatrick won the starting job entering the year. Rosen was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, but became expendable for the Arizona Cardinals when the team landed the top overall pick and decided to snag Kyler Murray. Rosen was shipped to the Dolphins, where he will now have his second chance at securing a starting spot in the NFL.
Rosen struggled while leading a moribund Cardinals offense in 2018, completing 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns to go along with 14 interceptions. Though the Cardinals had envisioned Rosen as a potential franchise quarterbacks when he was selected, the chance to take Murray was too enticing to the team. The Dolphins too are looking for a franchise quarterback after parting ways with longtime starter Ryan Tannehill after last season.
As the Fansided blog Phin Phanatic noted, the job will likely be Rosen’s for the remainder of the season as the Dolphins are working on a rebuild.
“Now that Miami is making the switch to Rosen, there is no need to go back to Fitzpatrick. The team is evaluating every player and every position so even if they realize that Rosen isn’t ready, they will have already cemented his future,” the report noted. “Now it is ride him or die with him.”
. @MiamiDolphins QB Josh Rosen is set to start in Week 3 vs the Cowboys (via @RapSheet ) pic.twitter.com/IXbieJ3Jsp
— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2019
There could be a sense of urgency for Josh Rosen to perform, as the Dolphins appear headed to a top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and could be looking for a franchise quarterback if Rosen doesn’t look up to the job.