Josh Rosen, out of the University of California Los Angeles, was recently acquired by the Miami Dolphins via trade from the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals shipped the soon-to-be second-year quarterback to Miami for just the 62nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. With the 62nd pick, Arizona ultimately used it to select wide receiver Andy Isabella from the University of Massachusetts.
Rosen’s rookie campaign
Rosen, being the 10th overall pick in the 2018 draft, disappointed Cardinals’ management by leading the team to an unfortunate 3-13 record. Despite playing behind an aging offensive line, older offensive weapons and a failing defense, Rosen pulled up just shy of 2,300 yards with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
The mediocre rookie numbers were not enough to solidify the quarterback’s starting position in Arizona. He was quickly replaced with the University of Oklahoma’s Heisman winner, Kyler Murray.
Move to Miami
Miami appears to be a good fit for Rosen, both in terms of skill set, as well as morale. Shortly after being traded, he posted a photo of himself photo-shopped into a Dolphins jersey on Instagram. Currently seated behind Ryan Fitzpatrick on their depth chart, it is believed that this will be a good place for Rosen to develop his awareness and decision making.
Learning behind a veteran quarterback will allow Rosen to not only develop physically with skills, but mentally too. One of the biggest takeaways a young QB can gain from a veteran is field awareness, or field IQ. If Fitzpatrick does win the starting job, Rosen will benefit from competing for the starting job, but also learning from Fitzpatrick along the way.
Rosen running the show
With Fitzpatrick nearing the end of his NFL career, if he develops well, Rosen could take the reins and potentially become the team’s offensive franchise centerpiece. With veteran players in key positions, and a young, building offense, the team hopes that it is close to the end of the rebuilding. Miami wants nothing more than the struggles it has seen, for roughly the last decade, to remove the big question mark of franchise QB off its list.
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An alert quarterback with on-field awareness could be just what the team needs to reach the playoffs and start the next level of production. Even if Rosen doesn’t win the starting job this year, or play a full season, the field time he sees can only improve him.
Unlucky dice roll in Arizona
Rosen wasn’t a bad QB in Arizona. He got thrown into trying to learn the league in a system lacking strength and abilities from coaches. Steve Wilks was a rookie to his job too. Rosen was thrown into a puzzle with too many pieces and was asked to lead a team he was still adjusting to himself.
Rosen may not be anywhere close to earning the title of a great QB, but he is far from a 3-13 starter. He will have learning a new scheme working against him again this season, but head coach Brian Flores is no Wilks. Flores comes from a highly productive and highly successful system, and the coaches he has brought with him are giving a new face to the Dolphins.
Promising Outlook
Despite the lack of titles and awards, Rosen threw for almost 10,000 yards in only 30 games during his time at UCLA. In that span he had an over 60 percent completion percentage and almost 60 touchdowns on a 140.1 QB passer rating. With a supportive coaching staff and a consistent roster, Rosen’s collegiate talents could very easily translate to the professional level. He just needs a platform where he can succeed. Arizona did not offer him that, but Miami has a great chance to. If the team were to give Rosen the time he needs to develop before cutting him loose, they may well make a Pro Bowl quarterback out of him.
– Christian Chappell is a Sports Contributor for Full Press Coverage Miami Dolphins. Like and follow on Follow @cmoneypc Follow @FPC_Dolphins and Facebook.
