Arizona Cardinals: Evaluating the pros and cons of keeping Josh Rosen

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 16: Josh Rosen #3 of the Arizona Cardinals reacts after a rushing touchdown by David Johnson #31 in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 16: Josh Rosen #3 of the Arizona Cardinals reacts after a rushing touchdown by David Johnson #31 in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 18: Quarterback Josh Rosen #3 of the Arizona Cardinals prepares to snap the football during the NFL game against the Denver Broncos at State Farm Stadium on October 18, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 18: Quarterback Josh Rosen #3 of the Arizona Cardinals prepares to snap the football during the NFL game against the Denver Broncos at State Farm Stadium on October 18, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Con: Turnover issues

Rosen is smart, but he also sometimes plays cocky, and a bit stubborn. This was a knock on him in college, and so far, has translated to the NFL, where the game is faster. As I said before, Rosen doesn’t tend to utilize his check-downs and instead looks to push the ball down the field. While that is a debatably great trait, there are some apparent downfalls from of it.

He tends to try to force a ball into windows that aren’t open and tends to trust his arm too much in general. While Rosen’s arm is certainly not an issue, he doesn’t have a freakishly awesome arm that a guy like Patrick Mahomes or even Josh Allen has. And that’s okay, as long as he knows it.

Rosen has been known to be a confidence guy, both on and off the field, and while that can win you some games, it can lose you a lot. Instead of forcing a big play, I’d like to see Rosen take his check-downs a bit more often. Because you can’t go broke making a profit.

Ultimately, that effort to push the ball down the field played a big factor in Rosen finishing with more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (11) on the year. While you have to factor in a depleted offensive roster and coaching staff around him, Rosen will surely look to humble his arm and equate it to the NFL speed in 2019, a feat that I believe he can easily accomplish.

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