2020 NFL Power Rankings: Patriots moving up as training camp nears
By Randy Gurzi
59. . . Previous: 26th. Miami Dolphins. 25. team
Miami moves from No. 26 to 25
No team needed an overhaul quite like the Miami Dolphins did. Year after year they would fall short and that led to them finally blowing it all up in 2019. The belief was they were tanking for Tua Tagovailoa out of Alabama. Then when Joe Burrow started to take off, they were likely eyeing him.
Miami ended up outperforming their talent level, which is a testament to the heart of quarterback Ryant Fitzpatrick and the coaching of Bryan Flores. The result was them landing the No. 5 overall pick, which still allowed them to land Tua.
The question now is whether or not they should start the rookie. Usually, I am all for top-10 quarterbacks starting — especially in today’s CBA which limits practice snaps. The fact is, players don’t develop the way they used to on the bench since so much of the time has to go to the starter.
In Miami though, it could make sense to wait. Tua already has an extensive injury history and this offensive line is simply bad. Fitzpatrick has been around longer and knows how to navigate a bad O-line. On top of that, he could stand to take less practice reps which would be a benefit for Tua as he could get more time than many rookies on the bench would.
Whatever they decide, this franchise is still at least a year away from truly contending. The good news is, they’re at least trending in the right direction.