Is Ryan Fitzpatrick a better QB than his record shows?

The career numbers for Ryan Fitzpatrick may not thrill you, but his stats over the past three seasons are up there with some of the best in the NFL.

There were arguably two major camps among fans of the Washington Football Team when the news was released about Ryan Fitzpatrick signing with the team on Monday night. You were either excited by the possibilities, or horrified by the potential outcomes.

Both parties have merit, too. In his 16-year career, Fitzpatrick has a losing QB record and is responsible for a 223-169 TD:INT ratio, which leaves a lot to be desired. Throughout his time in the NFL, we’ve seen a lot of ups and a lot of downs, so it’s tough to know what he might do in Washington.

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However, if we were to look at recent trends from Fitzpatrick, rather than his career numbers as a whole, it might cause some of the doubters to change their tune a little bit. On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Mike Greeny was on Get Up! talking about how solid of a player he has been over the past three years, and what it might mean for the team in D.C.

Let’s look at those stats from the last three years specifically:

  • Touchdowns: 50
  • Interceptions: 33
  • Completion %: 65.7
  • Quarterback Rating: 68.7
  • Yards per attempt: 8.1

For reference, here are the numbers of the guys that Greeny mentioned from the past three years as well:

  • Tom Brady completion %: 64.1
  • Russell Wilson yards per attempt: 7.8
  • Deshaun Watson QBR: 67.6

Now of course, it is easy to pick stats that fit your argument in any sports conversation, but there may be one more thing to this that we aren’t considering. Does Washington have the best roster that Fitzpatrick will play with over the past 5 years?

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Think about the defense and how strong they were in 2020, figuring to be the same if not better in 2021. On offense, you have some Grade A pieces in Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson, with solid compliments in Logan Thomas and a strong offensive line. Add another WR in free agency or the draft and it only gets better.

In comparison, Fitzpatrick was part of the Miami Dolphins team with a good defense in 2020, but only had DeVante Parker and Myles Gaskin on offense. The 2018 Tampa Bay Buccaneers had Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson on offense, but the defense wasn’t quite as stacked as Washington’s is.

With all of this being said, there is still a distinct possibility that Fitzpatrick turns into Fitztragic this season, and he ends up being a wasted free-agency signing. If that happens, oh well; the team didn’t spend much cap on him knowing that was a possibility. On the flip side, the recent trend shows that Fitzpatrick might be more Fitzmagic in Washington, in which case another division title and a trip to the playoffs might be in store. No matter what happens, though, it’s bound to be interesting.

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