#Ryan Fitzpatrick was ‘floored’ by Dolphins benching for Tua Tagovailoa

NFL journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick joined his ninth team – the Washington Football Team – this offseason, and one might think he has seen it all. But even he was shocked at the way things ended with his previous team.

Fitzpatrick began his second season with the Dolphins as the starter, in front of 2020 first rounder Tua Tagovailoa, and led the team to a solid 3-3 start, heading into the bye week after two dominant victories. But despite the strong performances, head coach Brian Flores unceremoniously benched him for the rookie coming out of the bye – and it came as a huge surprise.

“I have a ton of respect for [Flores], and we have a very good relationship,” Fitzpatrick told the Athletic in a feature published Thursday. “But I thought it was a joke at first. We’re putting Tua in? I was floored.”

Fitzpatrick had multi-touchdown performances in four of his six starts and in the two games before the bye, he had thrown six touchdowns.

“That was my team,” Fitzpatrick said. “I fought through the s–t with those guys. I get the way that the NFL works. I get it. But to have it happen the way it did …”

Even offensive coordinator Chan Gailey – who had previously worked alongside Fitzpatrick in Buffalo – was surprised by the call.

“I was in total shock,” Gailey, who was let go this offseason, said. “We didn’t even have a preseason. It was a totally new offense [for Tagovailoa]. We were just starting to hit our stride. We’d won two in a row and scored a bunch of points and moved the ball well. It came as a shock to me.”

The Dolphins did win their next three games, though it was largely on the strength of special teams and defense. Tagovailoa threw 11 touchdowns in his nine starts, and while the Dolphins finished with a strong 10-6 record, they just missed the playoffs.

On two occasions, Flores also benched Tagovailoa mid-game to bring in Fitzpatrick when the offense struggled to move the ball. On one occasion, it ended in a loss (against the Broncos), but on the second occasion Fitzpatrick led Miami to an improbable comeback win against the Raiders.