Dolphins then released long-time snapper John Denney, who had been with the team since 2005 and was the longest-tenured player on the roster prior to his release. Over the next few weeks, the Dolphins continued to trade other starters such as Kiko Alonso, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Kenyan Drake for draft picks and were criticized for allegedly "tanking" for a better draft position early in the season, most notably for Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who at the time, was considered possibly the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, before suffering a season-ending hip injury on November 16, 2019. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Rosen alternated games at quarterback to little success, but the job was ultimately clinched by Fitzpatrick after a string of strong performances starting in week 5. After starting the season 0–7 while losing each of the first four games by a total of 163 points and scoring a total of just 26 points and 2 touchdowns, the Dolphins won the next two games, including one over the New York Jets, which were led by the ex-Dolphins coach Adam Gase. The Dolphins finished their first season under Flores with a 5–11 record, including another upset win over the Patriots in Week 17, which denied the Patriots a first-round bye, and was both their first road win over the Patriots since 2008 and their first road win over the Tom Brady-led Patriots since 2005. 2020 Thanks to the trades prior to and during the 2019 season, the Dolphins held three first-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft (picks 5, 18, and 26). Miami drafted Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, tackle Austin Jackson, and cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, releasing Josh Rosen following training camp. Ryan Fitzpatrick continued to start at quarterback at the start of the season, but the starting role was eventually handed to Tagovailoa during Week 8, after the Dolphins began the season 0-2, 1-3, and then 3-3. Tagovailoa showed promise in his 8 starts as a Dolphin, going 6-3 at the helm, and had helped establish the Dolphins as playoff contenders, starting 6-3 for the first time since 2001 and 8-4 for the first time since 2003. 4th-year cornerback Xavien Howard became the first player since Antonio Cromartie in 2007 to record at least 10 interceptions in a season. Despite finishing the season with a 10-6 record, the Dolphins missed the playoffs after a 56-26 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills