Ryan Fitzpatrick expected to begin season as Dolphins starter

Tua Tagovailoa may be the Dolphins' quarterback of the future but Ryan Fitzpatrick appears to be their quarterback of the present, as head coach Brian Flores reportedly considers the job to be Fitzpatrick's to lose.

"Brian Flores comes from the Bill Belichick school of competition," NFL Network's Mike Garafolo said. "He wouldn't declare a starting quarterback in this competition this early. But the expectation is you're looking at the starter in Ryan Fitzpatrick."

It may seem like the reason Tua won't start week 1 is due to his health but according to Garafolo, it's less about that and more about Fitzpatrick earning the job with his play last season.

"It's less a health thing with Tua, it's more, he's going to have to beat out Ryan Fitzpatrick," Garafolo explained. "It's not going to be about the hip, it's not going to be, we're going to redshirt this guy because he's not ready to go physically. It's really going to be about, let's give him the time to develop if he's not at the point to where he can beat out Fitzpatrick."

This decision may shock some considering that he was the second quarterback taken off the board in this year's draft but at this point, Joe Burrow is slated to be the only rookie quarterback starting Week 1. But it's unlikely that Tua will remain on the bench for too long, as the Dolphins will almost definitely start Tua if their season begins on shaky ground.

The Dolphins will face off against the Patriots week 1.