South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
The senior representative
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is the oldest player on the Dolphins. Is he also the most important?
With the 2020 NFL season fast approaching, the South Florida Sun Sentinel takes a look at 10 storylines to watch for in a 10-part series ahead of the Miami Dolphins’ first day of training camp, which is set for Tuesday amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has the most unique situation of any Miami Dolphins player in 2020.
Heading into his 16th NFL season, as the lone Dolphins player older than 30 (well over 30 at 37 years old), there are several roles Fitzpatrick will likely play for the team.
He will be first in line to be the Dolphins’ starting quarterback, a role he owned much of last season, with rookie Tua Tagovailoa and third-year quarterback Josh Rosen also primed to compete.
Along with fending them off, Fitzpatrick will help both young quarterbacks grasp and acclimate to new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s offense, which he has spent five seasons playing in during his career, as the bridge to the future the Dolphins intended on him being while in Miami.
And Fitzpatrick could be relied on once again — on a team retooled with several free-agent additions and rookies hoping to reach their potential — to be the glue which undoubtedly kept the Dolphins together during coach Brian Flores’ first season in Miami.
“For me, the position of quarterback is such a leadership position, and I think it’s important to have somebody the guys look up to and respect, the way that you work, the way that you go about your business,” Fitz
patrick said this offseason.
“It’s humbling for me to hear those things but also knowing the way my teammates feel about me.”
On offense, Fitzpatrick’s leadership and enthusiasm gave young players confidence to rebound from mistakes during games, allowing them to develop at their own pace as the season progressed.
Just look at the strides players like leading receiver DeVante Parker and tight end Mike Gesicki made in 2019 with higher expectations awaiting them this season.
Fitzpatrick’s penchant for putting players in position to be successful — along with his tenacity to duck his head and shoulders and run into defenders while running the ball into the end zone — inspired players on the other side of the football team as well.
Dolphins defenders knew while they had a tough task trying to slow opposing offenses, they were inspired knowing Fitzpatrick and their offense could find their way into the end zone, too.
As both sides started playing complimentary football, as Flores would say, the Dolphins won five of their last nine games last season before their extensive offseason overhaul.
With at least 10 new free agents, 11 rookies and several other newcomers filling positions of need, the onus could be on Fitzpatrick to help this new group of Dolphins players mesh well again.
That role, however, may only resonate with Fitzpatrick serving in the team’s biggest leadership role as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback.
In a season that will surely be impacted by COVID-19, Fitzpatrick’s leadership and intimate knowledge of Gailey’s offense may lead to what some may consider a longer leash with regards to holding onto the starting job.
If the Dolphins can win some early games this season, expect that sentiment to reign true for even longer.
But at some point, Fitzpatrick’s role will eventually evolve if/when Tagovailoa is healthy enough to take the reins. Or if Rosen proves he can lead the Dolphins offense just as well.
Until then, Fitzpatrick remains the most important Dolphins player heading into the 2020 NFL season.
“I have much respect for a guy like that,” Tagovailoa said of Fitzpatrick in a recent interview with USA Today.
“The way he takes care of his body, the way he takes care of things off the field. He’s a coach in the meeting rooms for the offensive line, the receivers. I mean, he has the mindset of a coach but the heart of player. He plays like a player but the way he thinks, he thinks like a coach. Being able to be under someone like that and learn under someone like him, I really think you can only go up with your game.”