Miami Dolphins training camp 2019: Welcome to the Fitzpatrick Experience

Through the Miami Dolphins’ offseason training program and into the first days of training camp, Ryan Fitzpatrick looked like a starting quarterback ready to take control of a position battle and declare it over before it even began. Second-year passer Josh Rosen was struggling and the 15-year veteran was placing the ball exactly where he wanted and demonstrating an understanding of Miami’s new offensive system.

Then training camp’s third practice kicked off.

Saturday’s practice was anything but a run-away performance in a position battle by Fitzpatrick. Botched snaps, interceptions, and just sloppy passes defined the day for Fitzpatrick.

When Fitzpatrick is on, he can be great. But when he is off, it can get ugly fast. On Saturday, some of the great went away.

Meanwhile, Rosen showed some of the potential that had the Arizona Cardinals trade up to the tenth-overall pick in 2018 to select him. Tight spirals with some pretty touch led to multiple touchdowns during the practice. Getting some extra first-team snaps after Fitzpatrick was forced to run following the botched snap, Rosen took advantage. That is not to say Rosen was perfect on the day, throwing a couple of inaccurate passes and having at least one interception, but it was clearly the potential quarterback-of-the-future’s best performance, and it was the best performance among the quarterbacks on Saturday.

There is a long way to go this summer, with most of training camp and all of the preseason still to come, so there is a lot of time for a position battle to be decided.

Saturday showed us this really is a battle though, and not a run-away win from Fitzpatrick.