Quarterback Josh Rosen said Friday he is encouraged by his development, and though he obviously would love to play he supports the decision to have Ryan Fitzpatrick remain as the starter.
"I mean, Fitz hasn't done anything to lose the starting position thus far, so I don't see why anything would change," Rosen said. "I obviously would love to play if (Head) Coach (Brian Flores) called me up, but that's not my decision and I think Fitz has been doing a hell of a job considering all of the circumstances that have been going on this year."
Rosen started three games this season before Fitzpatrick replaced him in the fourth quarter of the Week 6 game against the Washington Redskins.
His only action since came in the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10 when Fitzpatrick missed a series while being evaluated for a concussion.
But Flores said Rosen has made clear progress in practice, and Rosen said he's evolved as a quarterback.
"I'm very encouraged just in general, day-to-day, with how I've developed, getting to watch how Fitz does his thing," Rosen said. "I'm still only 22 years old. It's not really like the windows opens and closes like that, but there is a sense of sort of understanding timing and opportunity. I'm aware of it, but like I said, it's all for you guys (the media) more to write about than it is for me to worry about. Opportunities will come and I'll try to seize them when they do."
Two-sport star
New Dolphins linebacker Calvin Munson shares the same last name as the late and longtime New York Yankees catcher Thurman Munson, but the two are not related.
The two do have something in common because Calvin Munson also has played some baseball, well enough, in fact, to get drafted out of high school. Calvin was selected out of high school in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Watch his full scouting video here.
Munson, who was drafted as a pitcher but also played first base in high school, decided to go the football route and attended San Diego State before joining the New York Giants as a rookie free agent in 2017.
While Munson said football was his passion, the fact he was selected by his hometown team made the decision a bit tougher.
"I'm a big Cardinals fan still," Munson said. "I grew up a big Cardinals fan. So, yeah, it was kind of tough. It was a hard decision to make in turning them down, but I wanted to play football."
As a football player, Munson played 14 games and five starts as a rookie in 2017 and is looking forward to getting another chance to play in a regular season game.
"Super excited to get back home in another game," he said. "That's the goal. Being on the practice squad, you want to get better. I spent my time on the practice squad, but that whole time I was just trying to get back to a real game."
Familiar face
Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor will be back where his NFL coaching career began when the Bengals play at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.
Taylor served as an assistant with the Dolphins from 2012-15, working as assistant quarterbacks coach that first year and then as quarterbacks coach before he added offensive coordinator duties early in the 2015 season.
Taylor, who's in his first year as Bengals head coach, said this week he has fond memories of his time with the Dolphins.
"It was my first stint in the NFL," Taylor said. "You learn a lot at the beginning of your career certainly. You continue to grow as a coach over the course of your career, just like any profession. I feel like I experienced a lot of growth during my time in Miami. I was around a lot of really good coaches. It's an organization with really good people. If you just look at the people who are still of that organization, they really have an effect on you. (I) certainly look back with fond memories of my time in Miami and look forward to saying hello to a couple of people when I'm down there."
On this day in Dolphins History
There have been a lot of significant events involving the Dolphins that have taken place on Dec. 20.
In 1970, the Dolphins clinched their first-ever playoff berth when they defeated the Buffalo Bills 45-7 at the Orange Bowl.
In 1980, NBC Sports put together the first professional sports broadcast without announcers when the Dolphins faced the New York Jets at the Orange Bowl in a Saturday afternoon game. The idea was to try to enhance the sounds from the field to give the viewers a different experience. It obviously wasn't deemed a success since it's never been done before. Oh, the Dolphins lost the game, 24-17.
In 1992, the Dolphins clinch a playoff berth with a 19-17 victory against the Jets and Dan Marino ties Johnny Unitas for second place on the NFL's all-time list with his 290th career touchdown pass.
In 2004, the Dolphins pull off perhaps the greatest upset victory in franchise history when they stun the defending and eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots with a 29-28 Monday night victory. The Dolphins, who had come into the game with a 2-11 record and wore orange jerseys that night, won a late touchdown pass from A.J. Feeley to Derrius Thompson and got two late interceptions against Tom Brady.
