The Miami Dolphins have themselves a brand new quarterback in 1st-round pick Tua Tagovailoa — and everyone is going to have an opinion on when the right time is for Tagovailoa to enter into the starting lineup and serve as Miami’s signal caller. This process is still extremely early, but one thing we can surmise is that the Dolphins are going to tailor their offensive attack to Tagovailoa’s strengths as a passer; look for Miami to run the ball downhill and tag a lot of pass routes on the back end of these runs to allow for run-pass option concepts.
With an offense tailored to Tagovailoa’s strengths, could we see him get onto the field sooner rather than later? We certainly could, but there is also a lot of appeal for the Dolphins to keep Fitzpatrick behind center in the early chapters of the 2020 season.
The most appealing reason isn’t even tied to Tagovailoa’s November 2019 hip injury either — but rather in the fact that the Dolphins are almost sure to debut a brand new offensive line in 2020 with as many as five new starters across the front. With that many new pieces situated along the line of scrimmage, communication lapses are of high risk and an experienced quarterback who is well versed in Miami’s playbook would go a long way in providing a stabilizing presence.
Yes, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey is new to Miami after several years away from the game — but he coached Ryan Fitzpatrick in each of his prior two stops in the NFL, perhaps no quarterback knows Gailey’s offense better than Fitzpatrick. With that in mind and when considering all of the new pieces the Dolphins are going to be featuring up front, Fitzpatrick certainly seems like the sensible play to start the Dolphins’ season this fall.
His experience and leadership will provide a barrier and allow the Dolphins to play as efficiently up front as possible. And from there, the Dolphins can see where the season takes them. If the offense still struggles to get off the ground, then it may be time to revisit who is behind center. But at least to start, Fitzpatrick’s resume reads well as the man for the job early in 2020.