Odds Show Fitzpatrick To Be Dolphins Week 1 Starter Ahead Of Tagovailoa

After three years of mediocrity accompanied by a quarterback carousel in Miami, there may be new hope for the Dolphins quarterback situation. With the fifth overall pick in the 2020 draft, Miami selected Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Despite some injury concerns, the Dolphins decided that Tua and his incredible potential was worth the risk. Now the question is how soon will he get into the starting lineup?

Remember, Tagovailoa is still a rookie quarterback who is recovering from a major surgery, so there are serious doubts he will be under center for Miami to begin the season. The oddsmakers list incumbent veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick as the projected starter but is there value with Tua?

RYAN FITZPATRICK

ODDS TO BE WEEK 1 STARTER: -275

First up is the man, the myth, the legend: Ryan Fitzpatrick. While he may not be known for his long tenures or great success, “FitzMagic” has carved out a place for himself in the NFL the last 15 years by being serviceable. He’s started numerous games for eight different NFL teams in his journeyman career, throwing 210 career touchdown passes in the process. Unfortunately, Fitzpatrick has mostly been utilized as starter for bad teams going through rebuilding phases but still want to be competitive, giving him a 55-83-1 record.

While Fitzpatrick has showed he is a capable quarterback, his history does proceed himself. While most of his situations hasn’t been ideal, Fitzpatrick starting at quarterback hasn’t translated to wins. What’s interesting is that the Dolphins, who looked pulse-less early in the year, were competitive with Fitzpatrick under center. They finished the year 5-4 in their final nine games while Fitzpatrick’s 66.5 QBR ranked eighth in the NFL. He had 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions in the final month of the season and with the incredible win in New England, has likely earned himself a shot to be the first starter with the team going into the 2020 season.

TUA TAGOVAILOA

ODDS TO BE WEEK 1 STARTER: +200

Now for the name everyone has been talking about for years: Tua Tagovailoa. We all know the story of Tua, who got to Alabama as a backup to now Philadelphia Eagle Jalen Hurts, but ultimately took the glory when he relieved Hurts in the 2017 National Championship game to get the comeback win. He won the starting job in his sophomore season and led the Crimson Tide back to the big game before falling to Clemson. Then, the injury happened, where Tua’s hip was dislocated and fractured his posterior wall. This led to numerous questions about his durability and if he will be the same player, but apparently the Dolphins decided his potential was too great to pass up and selected him fifth overall in the 2020 Draft.

It’s interesting how things worked out in the end as everyone expected the Dolphins to “Tank For Tua” and while they did originally, they played well enough to earn the fifth pick in the draft. Meanwhile, Joe Burrow’s emergence and Tua’s injury meant he dropped a little, so the Dolphins still got their guy in the end.

At +200 to be the Dolphins starter quarterback in Week 1, there seems to be a lot of reasons not to have him under center. Tua is still recovering from his most recent injury and COVID-19 has not helped with that process (missing mini-camps, offseason activities). Not to mention that it is rare for rookie quarterbacks to thrive when thrown to the wolves but oddsmakers seem to think there is definitely still a chance with the odds they currently have out.

JOSH ROSEN

ODDS TO BE WEEK 1 STARTER: +2500

Last but not least, we have Josh Rosen. In case you have forgotten, Rosen was a Top 10 pick two years ago by the Arizona Cardinals before being shipped to Miami after a rocky rookie year. As a Dolphin, Rosen started three games and appeared in threes more, throwing five interceptions and only one touchdown. It’s hard to know if Rosen has been given his proper shot in the NFL but it’s hard to believe he’ll get it in Miami with Tua in town.

However, there is a potential conspiracy out there. The Dolphins may not want to rush Tua out too soon due to injuries and inexperience but by starting Rosen (who has not yet found success in the NFL) instead of starting Fitzpatrick (a known commodity), the Dolphins could showcase Rosen and try to trade him for an asset. This theory seems unlikely, though, as the odds the odds suggest.

For a full list of all of the horses on the board, you can check out this link.