ARIZONA CARDINALS

Ryan Fitzpatrick ‘leading the way’ over Josh Rosen in Dolphins QB battle

Jul 30, 2019, 7:57 AM | Updated: 2:11 pm

Miami Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) does drills during NFL football training camp,Thursday, J...

Miami Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) does drills during NFL football training camp,Thursday, July 25, 2019, in Davie, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Whether it be a statement of fact, some tough love, a motivational tactic or otherwise, Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores wasn’t shy about his opinion of the team’s quarterback battle when asked about it on Tuesday.

With one of veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick or former Cardinals quarterback and second-year signal-caller Josh Rosen expected to win the starting job for the Dolphins, Flores on Tuesday told reporters, “It’s pretty clear to me that Ryan Fitzpatrick is leading the way.”

According to the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley, Flores then said, “He’s been more productive. At the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to.”

“I think he runs the offense very efficiently,” Flores said as seen in a video from Omar Kelly. “He has great rapport with the entire team. He has a lot of leadership ability. We need that to continue and we need to grow him in that way. We need him to grow in that role. And we need all the quarterbacks to grow and improve and get better.

“And like I said, it’s still a competition. Every day is a competition. I think they all know that. But as we stand today, I think Ryan’s done a really good job. And hopefully he continues to improve and is consistent, and that will help this team, for sure.”

Arizona traded up in the 2018 NFL Draft to select UCLA’s Rosen at No. 10 overall, the highest pick the Cardinals had used on a quarterback since they took Matt Leinart, also 10th overall, back in 2006. A year later, though, general manager Steve Keim replaced Rosen with Murray, and it looks like Miami doesn’t have immediate expectation for Rosen to be their starter, either.

In his rookie season, Rosen started 13 games after replacing Sam Bradford, who was the Cardinals’ starter going into Week 1. Rosen passed for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns with 14 interceptions and a 55.2% completion rate. He played under two different offensive coordinators after Mike McCoy was fired and Byron Leftwich took over, and was also victim to playing behind what was, by most accounts, one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.

Still, a fresh start in South Beach hasn’t seemed to give him a boost just yet, though Flores cautioned that a competition was still ongoing.

Fitzpatrick, 36, passed for 2,366 yards in just eight games (seven starts) last year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a league-leading 9.6 yards per attempt. He threw for 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a 66.7% completion rate.

Array
Presented By
Western Governors University

Presented By
Western Governors University

Comments

Comment guidelines: No name-calling, personal attacks, profanity, or insults. Please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate comments by reporting abuse.
comments powered by Disqus

Arizona Cardinals

Desmond Ridder runs the rock against Houston...

Tyler Drake

Desmond Ridder eager to remind fellow Cardinals QB Clayton Tune about college wins

Cardinals quarterback Desmond Ridder may not know Kyler Murray just yet, but he and Clayton Tune go way back.

24 hours ago

LSU's Malik Nabers, a top NFL Draft prospect...

Kevin Zimmerman

NFL Draft: Malik Nabers to visit Arizona Cardinals after LSU pro day, per report

Top NFL Draft receiver prospect Malik Nabers will reportedly visit with the Arizona Cardinals after the LSU Tigers' pro day.

1 day ago

Desmond Ridder looks to pass...

Tyler Drake

QB1 or not, Desmond Ridder keeping starter mentality with Cardinals

New Cardinals QB Desmond Ridder is focused on using the good and the bad from his first two seasons rather than listening to outside chatter.

2 days ago

Jonathan Gannon and Kyler Murray look on...

Tyler Drake

Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon: Kyler Murray’s ‘best football is ahead of him’

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon believes Kyler Murray will continue taking the necessary steps forward with a full offseason of work.

2 days ago

Kyler Murray chats with Jonathan Gannon...

Arizona Sports

Arizona Cardinals will face ‘really good’ AFC opponent for joint preseason practices

The Arizona Cardinals expect to hold joint practices in the preseason against a really good AFC opponent, in the words of Jonathan Gannon.

2 days ago

Patriots and Cardinals kick off return in 2020...

Associated Press

NFL owners approve new kickoff rules for 2024

NFL kickoff rules will take on a hybrid approach similar to the XFL. League owners approved the new measures Tuesday.

2 days ago

Ryan Fitzpatrick ‘leading the way’ over Josh Rosen in Dolphins QB battle