Getty Ryan Fitzpatrick
Scratch “Dallas Cowboys Fitzmagic” off your 2020 NFL bingo cards.
Amid persistent speculation that Dallas could trade for benched Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, beat reporter Mike Fisher of Maven Sports reached out to those in the know for the “truth” on the matter.
“False,” a Cowboys source told Fisher on Tuesday. “That doesn’t even make any sense.”
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The source here was asked about a recent South Florida Sun-Sentinel article in which the Cowboys were floated as a potential landing spot for the legendary 37-year-old journeyman.
A logical trade partner could be the Dallas Cowboys, who lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending leg injury and just lost backup Andy Dalton to a concussion last Sunday.
The NFC East is the most abysmal division in football, with the Eagles (2-4-1), Washington (2-5), Cowboys (2-5) and Giants (1-6) all in the mix for a playoff spot.
Perhaps, one of those teams believe Fitzpatrick, who has a 95.0 passer rating, could spark up some FitzMagic for a stretch run at the end of this season.
Nobody will confuse Fitzpatrick for Joe Montana, but he was performing at a solid level in 2020, leading the Dolphins to a surprising 3-3 record. He’s completed 138-of-197 passes (70.1%) for 1,535 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions across six starts, adding 135 yards and two scores on the ground.
The former Ram, Bengal, Bill, Titan, Texan, Jet, and Buc has never been a foundational fixture at any point amid his 16 professional campaigns. There’s a reason he’s also nicknamed “Fitztragic.” He’s erratic, inconsistent, turnover prone. When it works, it’s brilliant. But when it doesn’t, it’s capital-B Bad. And no front office is willing to hitch their wagon to his star.
Perhaps another team will offer significant compensation and absorb Fitzpatrick’s $8 million salary-cap number. That team isn’t the Cowboys, who are as likely to be sellers as they are buyers before the Nov. 3 NFL trade deadline. They began the process Tuesday, sending defensive end Everson Griffen to the Lions in exchange for a 2021 sixth-round draft pick.
Ultimately, it won’t matter who’s under center if the injury-wracked offensive line, down four starters in Sunday’s loss to Washington, can’t keep the QB upright. Head coach Mike McCarthy indicated that right guard Zack Martin (concussion) will play in Week 8 and center Joe Looney (knee, injured reserve) has a chance to suit up.
Dalton will remain in concussion protocol as the Cowboys return to practice Wednesday. While there’s a chance he misses the upcoming road tilt against the Eagles, all indications point to it being a short-term absence. Rookie Ben DiNucci will handle first-string reps for as long as needed, but this is Dalton’s offense for the remainder of the Prescott-less season.
“We can get the most out of our team and it could be enough with Andy Dalton,” Dallas owner/general manager Jerry Jones said prior to the Washington game, via USA Today.
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