DAVIE, Fla. – Ryan Fitzpatrick is likely to take the first snap of Thursday night's preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, but how long he remains on the field beyond that is anyone's guess.
First-year Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores said Tuesday he wants all his quarterbacks to "be ready to play for an extended period of time."
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"We'll see how the game goes," Flores told reporters. "We have a plan for some players, but I would tell these guys, and I've told them, that everyone has to be ready for an extended period of time."
Flores said last week that Fitzpatrick was "leading the way" in the starting quarterback competition with Josh Rosen.
Fitzpatrick is a journeyman who signed with Miami in the offseason, while Rosen was acquired in a draft-day trade with the Arizona Cardinals.
Typically, starters will play just a handful of snaps before relinquishing their responsibilities to the backups. But Flores was noncommittal about how much either quarterback would play.
"There's no set parameters as far as the substitution process, from that standpoint," Flores said. "I think they all know that it could be three plays. It could be 30 plays. It could be 50 plays. We'll see how the game goes. If you slate somebody for three plays and they have three mental errors, I don't think it's time for that person to come out. You never know how the game is going to go."
Flores did say he expects Fitzpatrick to play with the first team on the depth chart, just as he's done through much of training camp.
"But that could change," Flores said. "We've got a meeting tonight to talk about it, and that's kind of where I see it right now. He's done a good job. Josh has done a good job. Again, the preseason games will tell us. It's just another part of the evaluation."