Omar Kelly: Ryan Fitzpatrick was fun as Dolphins QB, but he was just a fling

Ryan Fitzpatrick likely would have produced his best NFL season if the grizzled veteran stayed on the trajectory he was on with the Miami Dolphins before they benched him.

Chan Gailey offense was growing with Fitzpatrick as the conductor. His quick decision-making and savviness in the pocket was helping a young, and potentially fragile offensive line grow up and develop much-needed chemistry.

And the early leads Fitzpatrick and the offense provided in Miami’s three wins allowed Brian Flores’ 3-4 hybrid defensive scheme to thrive by turning up the volume on its aggressiveness while the team was in possession of double-digit advantages.

The Dolphins (3-3) were revving on all cylinders the past two games, two blowouts, and there’s little doubt in my mind that a healthy Fitzpatrick could keep this team at, or around .500 as the team’s starter in the final 10 games.

And if all three phases of the team kept playing at a high level it was possible that Fitzpatrick could match, or exceed the 10-win season he delivered the Jets in 2015. And maybe — just maybe — lead this franchise to his first playoff game as a starter.

But that’s the fantasyland view of what could have been and what might have happened if Fitzpatrick stayed at the helm.

It is the romanticized view of a relationship meant to be kept as a casual affair because in all honesty there was no future in Miami going steady with Fitzpatrick.

Say the best-case scenario happened, and Fitzpatrick led Miami to 10 wins and the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2016.

Then what?

A first-round loss to a legitimate Super Bowl contender like what happened in 2008 with Chad Pennington, or in 2016 with Matt Moore at the helm?

Then what?

Re-sign the soon-to-be-39-year-old quarterback to yet another year, and have Tua Tagovailoa, whom the Dolphins used the No. 5 pick to select in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, sit out more games?

When Miami got with Fitzpatrick, both parties knew marriage wasn’t on the table.

Like most breakups, this is harder on one side than the other. Feelings got involved. But ultimately, we all know ending this fling was for the best because the upside of Fitzpatrick remaining Miami’s starting quarterback doesn’t outweigh the importance of Tagovailoa’s development.

That was the deciding factor the Dolphins brain trust clearly debated following Sunday’s 24-0 thumping of the winless the New York Jets and there’s little doubt they made the change because a season without Tagovailoa on the field stunts the franchise’s growth.

That’s why the change to Tagovailoa needed to be made this week, at this time, with the team riding a high of these two wins, and having the week off to digest this uncomfortable breakup.

Better to do it now than when Fitzpatrick had sustained two or three losses. Let him go out with dignity.

General Manager and Brian Flores ripped the Band-Aid (Fitzpatrick) off and decided to let the wound at quarterback this franchise has had since Dan Marino retired two decades ago air dry.

It wasn’t an easy decision, especially since it violated the trust the 2020 team has in their management and coaches, because they know Tagovailoa isn’t the quarterback who puts the team in the best position to win on Sundays right now. Maybe later, but not now.

But it was the right approach for the franchise long-term.

Investing in Tagovailoa is about the future. It is a long-play decision that will hopefully reap great rewards in years to come if he can stay healthy, and in the coming years exceed what Fitzpatrick has achieved.

These next 10 games can be used to fine-tune the offensive line that will protect Tagovailoa.

Gailey will need these games to build an offense around his strengths and weaknesses, and Tagovailoa would benefit from using this time developing chemistry with DeVante Parker, Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki, who should be his playmakers for the next couple of years.

Or does Tagovailoa need playmakers with different skill sets? We’ll never know until he’s the man pulling the trigger at quarterback.

Whether or not Tagovailoa takes the Dolphins to heights this franchise hasn’t been in decades won’t be determined for a while. But the relationship begins now, and hopefully it will be blissful.

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