Ryan Fitzpatrick wins Dolphins starting QB job

A question that has been brewing since the acquisition of Josh Rosen during the 2019 NFL Draft in April has officially been answered.

Concluding the Dolphins 16-13 preseason-finale victory against the New Orleans Saints Thursday night, head coach Brian Flores announced to media members that Ryan Fitzpatrick defeated Josh Rosen in the quarterback competition, resulting in Fitzpatrick getting the start under center Week 1 September 8 vs. Baltimore at Hard Rock Stadium.

Rosen will backup Fitzpatrick on the depth chart. “We are going to name Ryan Fitzpatrick our starter for game one. I told both quarterbacks I feel like that’s the best situation for the team, puts us in the best position to win. That’s how we are going forward,” Flores said postgame Thursday. “After a thorough evaluation of OTA’s, training camp, games, practices, we felt like this was the best move for this team going into this season. Ryan has done a really good job from a leadership standpoint, from an execution standpoint, and we feel like that’s the best thing for this team.”

Fitzpatrick is entering his 15th season as a professional, having played for Buffalo, Cincinnati, New York Jets, then-named St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay, Houston and Tennessee. “I’m excited. I’m excited to get out there and lead this team and do the best I can out there. It’s a situation I’ve been in for multiple franchises. I’ll lean on my experience a little bit and try to get the guys out there, everybody on the same page and great communication and playing with a lot of excitement,” Fitzpatrick said postgame Thursday.

The Dolphins leaned on Ryan Tannehill for seven seasons, dealing the former first-round selection to Tennessee this past March due to inconsistency and injury issues. Fitzpatrick was then signed to a two-year, eleven-million dollar deal, keeping the former Harvard standout in Miami until the 2020 campaign. The Dolphins open the regular season with back-to-back home games, facing the New England Patriots September 15.

This story was written by Brandon Liguori. Follow him on Twitter: @BrandonRLiguori