The Miami Dolphins had an interesting quarterback situation during the 2019 season. The team had signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick to a two-year deal, and they also traded for Arizona’s Josh Rosen, a 2018 first-round pick. Despite some back and forth, Fitzpatrick was the team’s starting quarterback.
After taking one of the most highly anticipated quarterback prospects in recent draft history, many would suspect the situation in the quarterback room would have subsided with a clear starter and backup emerging.
Well, the 2020 Dolphins’ depth chart at the quarterback position only gets more confusing after the addition of former Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa.
It’s expected that Tagovailoa will take the role of starting quarterback in 2021, allowing time for him to learn the playbook, form relationships with his new receivers and fully heal from his hip injury.
Despite Tagovailoa claiming he felt “100%” in early April, it’s safe to assume the Dolphins will wait one more year before letting him get considerable playing time.
This also makes sense when considering the franchise’s rebuild is not yet complete. Miami has a considerable amount of early draft picks in 2021. They might as well save the quarterback of the future and stock up on more weapons for him.
With that being said, Fitzpatrick is the expected starter come Week 1 vs. the New England Patriots on the road.
That begs the question, if Fitzpatrick goes down, who is the next man up?
Alain Poupart of Sports Illustrated has Rosen above Tagovailoa on the depth chart for 2020. Rosen as the backup would make sense, especially since they are trying to keep Tua as far away from the field as possible in 2020.
However, Poupart does acknowledge that there is a possibility Rosen isn’t even on the roster by the start of the regular season.
An interesting take from Brian Miller from PhinPhanatic states that Tagovailoa will still be the third quarterback on the depth chart, but will play behind Fitzpatrick. This assumption means that Rosen won the battle for QB1.
“Miami needs Rosen to beat Fitzpatrick and they need him to have a good year if he does,” Miller writes. “There is no long term future in Miami for Rosen but if they can showcase him to the rest of the league, they will have a tradeable asset that could bring them back decent compensation.”
At the end of the day, Tagovailoa is on the roster and is available to see live action if necessary. There might even be a few opportunities for him to see the field late in a game, much like how Mac Jones did in 2019 for Alabama.
Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Tua Tagovailoa’s journey through his rookie season with the Miami Dolphins.