The inevitable has happened. The Miami Dolphins have made their highly anticipated quarterback change this weekend while on their bye week — a decision that has led to commentary from just about every corner of the football world. Understandably so, too — given that the Dolphins currently sit at .500 with a 3-3 record and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was universally loved by the team. Winning cures all, and if Tua Tagovailoa can step into the lineup and win, then the Miami Dolphins will forge ahead without incident.
But if Tagovailoa doesn’t thrive, at least not early on, does the continues presence of Fitzpatrick on the roster provide a distraction the Dolphins wouldn’t want? Absolutely not. We’ve all known from the moment Miami pulled the trigger on Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick that this was going to be the move and that Miami’s rebuild was geared towards a long-term approach. And Fitzpatrick, who is in the twilight of his career as an NFL player, simply isn’t a long-term contributor. Father Time is undefeated.
So with that in mind, is Fitzpatrick a disposable asset? Would Miami consider moving Fitzpatrick off this roster?
It’s highly unlikely for a number of reasons. First and foremost, teams rarely trade for quarterbacks mid-season and expect them to start for a push to the postseason. That’s an overly ambitious ask for anyone, including a super smart veteran like Fitzpatrick. Second, Fitzpatrick is a 37-year old veteran on an expiring contract. What’s the compensation anyone would want to offer up? A conditional late round pick? Maybe?
If that’s all the Dolphins can get, it would likely do more harm than good to shuttle a beloved locker room presence away for the NFL equivalent of a half-eaten bag of chips. The NFL is a business — but you can’t write off the value of having buy-in from Fitzpatrick into the team’s transition and the impact it will have on the rest of the team. And with little long-term value, his presence on the team is more valuable to Miami than a 2021 6th-round pick (hypothetically). If a team comes knocking with a deal that blows Miami out of the water (they won’t)? That’d be a different story, of course.
Plus, the durability concerns for Tagovailoa haven’t gone away. At least not yet. And until they do, Fitzpatrick is only one play away from being the Dolphins’ starter once more. And we’ve seen what that ceiling looks like — enticing enough that Miami should continue to allow Fitzpatrick to be the leader this team needs. Just not the one behind center.