Dolphins veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said last week that Tua Tagovailoa could flourish under new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.
So even if Fitzpatrick starts the season under center because he already has, it could be a temporary assignment.
According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, a person who talked to the Dolphins front office about their plans came away with the impression that they weren’t opposed to playing Tagovialoa as a rookie.
At a certain level, the response to this is “Of course they aren’t, that’s why they picked him fifth overall.”
But the combination of Fitzpatrick being stable, knowing Gailey’s system well from their time with the Bills and Jets, and Tagovailoa’s lack of on-field preparation in it makes it reasonable that Fitzpatrick would start early in the season. Without normal offseason programs and OTA and the on-field reps (even the non-contact kind), Tagovailoa’s missing important time on the field with teammates.
But if Tagovailoa impresses in whatever form of training camp and preseason the Dolphins have this year, that timeline could be accelerated.