There's a much-publicized quarterback competition taking place in Miami, even though all signs point to Ryan Fitzpatrick holding the starting reins when the Dolphins kick off their 2020 season.
Might there be another QB competition in Dolphins training camp, though?
While No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa is clearly seen as the future face of the franchise, another former first-rounder, Josh Rosen, is still around and multiple reports have him faring better than Tagovailoa out of the gate.
When asked Friday if there was a competition and if Rosen was leading, Dolphins coach Brian Flores' reply was that there is indeed a competition – but that there is one at every position.
"That competition is like every other competition on the team," Flores, via team transcript, said -- reminding everyone that he comes from the Bill Belichick coaching tree. "Whether it's the quarterback, whether it's the running back, whether it's the offensive line, whether it's the defensive line, the tight ends – everybody is competing. We're just trying to take it one day at a time to get better, improve, see what the strengths and weaknesses are on the team.
"Everyone is just trying to improve and get better. I think those guys are doing a good job. Rosen is doing a good job. Tua is doing a good job. I think a lot of guys at a lot of positions are making some progress."
The latest reports Friday weren't great for either, though. With Fitzpatrick absent of practice for personal reasons, Rosen threw a touchdown, an interception and was 6-for-14 for 104 yards, per the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Safid Deen. Tagovailoa had two interceptions along with 99 yards and no touchdowns on 6-of-15 passing.
On Friday, Tagovailoa threw two interceptions at practice, while Rosen had one throw to the wrong side of teammates. Still, even on an unimpressive day it would seem Rosen was a bit better.
Seemingly forgotten in the South Florida sun after the Dolphins traded for him during last year's draft after just one season with the Cardinals, Rosen is heading into his third NFL campaign. Following an unimpressive rookie year with Arizona, Rosen was shipped to Miami when the new Cardinals regime zeroed in on Kyler Murray. In 2019, Rosen lost out in a QB competition to the bearded brilliance of Fitzpatrick. Still, Rosen's only 23 and actually younger than Joe Burrow, who was selected No. 1 in the 2020 draft.
"He's had a lot of good moments so far," Flores said of Rosen. "We'll just kind of see how it goes and continue to get better. Experience helps, for sure; but like you said, we don't have the preseason games. We're trying to create situations to see whether or not that decision-making process is where we need it to be (and) where he wants it to be. He's putting the work in to do that. So are all of the quarterbacks. I know we're spending a lot of time on the quarterbacks but it's really each player in each position, from a situational standpoint and a decision-making standpoint, everyone's got to make good decisions on the field, communicate and try to put this team in the best position to string good plays together."
At this point in camp, perhaps the Dolphins are stringing together two quarterback competitions or maybe even just one for the No. 2 role.
