Arizona Cardinals smart to quit while they’re ahead
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals decision to disallow Josh Rosen from playing in Thursday’s preseason finale is the smart thing to do
Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks had heard the pleas from his second-string quarterback. First-round draft pick Josh Rosen had put in a request. The rookie wanted badly to play against the Denver Broncos on Thursday, and was hoping that Wilks would grant him his wish.
The Cardinals have made their decision. The team has decided that Rosen has already played his last down of the exhibition season. The choice to err on the side of caution is the correct one, despite the fact that their backup passer won’t be happy about it.
The matchup versus the Broncos just happens to be the last of the annual games that don’t count in the standings. The final preseason matchup is typically reserved for those players on the periphery of making the team. It’s been said that the last five or so roster spots are the only things up for grabs during the contest, so it’s relatively meaningless for a good portion of the squad.
One of the main goals for any organization is to be as healthy as possible by the time the regular-season rolls around. The Cardinals, up until this point at least, have managed to accomplish that feat. It’s true that they lost D.J. Foster and Jeremy Cash to season-ending injuries, but both were considered nothing more than backups with Arizona.
Rosen’s situation was a bit complicated. The franchise’s signal-caller of the future didn’t get to play a single down against the Dallas Cowboys this past Sunday night. A thumb injury suffered during a practice was what kept him on the sidelines.
In light of him sitting out the tussle with Dallas, Rosen apparently felt that getting some playing time this Thursday night would be beneficial. “I think all reps are good reps”, the 6’4″, 218 pounder stated while pleading his case to the media on Tuesday. “I’d love to take as many as possible because, obviously, that’s how you get to learn the offense best.”
Next. Cardinals with jobs on the line Thursday night. dark
One thing that wouldn’t benefit Rosen at this point would be playing behind a second-rate offensive line. There’s a good chance that the gunslinger would be running for his life versus Denver, which is something that Wilks wants to avoid. For the time being, Rosen will be put on ice, anxiously awaiting the next chance he gets to perform as an NFL quarterback.