Ryan Fitzpatrick to Cowboys? Fans start trade rumors after Tua Tagovailoa news

Jordan Heck

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Ryan Fitzpatrick to Cowboys? Fans start trade rumors after Tua Tagovailoa news image

The Dolphins have named Tua Tagovailoa as their starting quarterback moving forward, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

The news is somewhat surprising considering that the Dolphins are just a game out of first place in the AFC East, and starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has played really well. Fitzpatrick has scored three touchdowns in three of his past four games, and has topped 300 passing yards three times this season.

Fitzpatrick is 12th in total passing yards (1,535), fifth in completion percentage (70.1), 13th in touchdown passes (10) and seventh in ESPN's QBR metric (79.6). In other words, he's played above average and is a big reason why the Dolphins are off to a strong start in 2020.

MORE: Tua Tagovailoa stayed behind to FaceTime parents after NFL debut

Considering Fitzpatrick's strong season, it's not unreasonable to suggest that he has some value ahead of the league's trade deadline on Nov. 3. And a team that makes complete sense is the Cowboys.

Dallas struggled in its first game with Andy Dalton as starter as he finished with 266 yards on 54 attempts (an ugly 4.93 yards per attempt). Dalton also threw two interceptions in the game, and had this truly awful pass. 

With Dak Prescott lost for the season, the Cowboys could use a quarterback who can help them reach the playoffs. Because despite their tough start to the season, the Cowboys are still in first place in the NFC East with a 2-4 record.

If Dalton continues to struggle, a move for Fitzpatrick makes complete sense. Miami doesn't have a use for Fitzpatrick anymore, as he was being used as a stopgap QB before the No. 2 draft pick took over. Sure, he can provide a veteran presence for Tagovailoa, but getting something of value in a trade will be more beneficial to the franchise.

This move would also make sense for the Cowboys because Fitzpatrick can be traded in a cheap deal. He becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season, so Miami wouldn't be demanding the world for him. Fitzpatrick's contract also allows the Cowboys to move on from the veteran quarterback at the end of the season as Prescott gets healthy for 2021 (assuming the Cowboys lock Prescott into a long-term deal in the offseason).

Many people were able to put these pieces together, and Fitzpatrick-to-Dallas started to make some noise on Twitter shortly after Tagovailoa was named the Dolphins' starting quarterback.

Jordan Heck

Jordan Heck Photo

Jordan Heck is a Social Media Producer at Sporting News. Before working here, he was a Digital Content Producer at The Indianapolis Star. He graduated with a degree from Indiana University.