Former Arizona Cardinals passer is heading towards failure
By Jim Koch
Just two years after being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, quarterback Josh Rosen‘s NFL career appears to be in severe decline
Just two years ago, the Arizona Cardinals believed that a franchise quarterback had dropped squarely into their laps. Sensing a unique opportunity, general manager Steve Keim traded up five slots to grab Josh Rosen with the NFL Draft’s 10th-overall pick. The talented gunslinger was actually the fourth signal-caller selected that day, but many experts felt at the time that the Cards had landed the best of the bunch.
Despite the positive projections, the extremely confident Rosen’s tenure with the Cardinals lasted just 12 months. The former UCLA Bruin’s days with the club became numbered immediately after Keim hired Kliff Kingsbury in January of 2019. The new head coach stated emphatically that Rosen was still the man in Arizona, but we now know that Kingsbury had a completely different plan for the position.
Just one week after Kingsbury was handed the Cards job, the University of Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray declared that he wanted to play professional football. That announcement, for all intents and purposes, ended any hope that Rosen may have had about remaining with the Cardinals. Murray was seen as a perfect fit for the new coach’s “Air Raid” offense, and there was no way that Kingsbury was going to pass on him with last year’s first-overall draft choice.
One day after Murray was officially welcomed to the desert, Rosen was shipped off to the Miami Dolphins. Arizona received a second-round selection in the deal, which wasn’t bad considering the fact that just about everyone knew that Keim was desperate to trade the passer. Rosen’s final numbers with the Cards included a less than mediocre 55.2 completion percentage, 11 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions in 14 appearances (13 starts) for the team.
The only obstacle separating Rosen from the Dolphins starting gig was Ryan Fitzpatrick, a 36-year old journeyman who has played for eight organizations. However, the 6’4, 225 pounder was anything but impressive when he was inserted into the lineup. In the six games (three starts) he suited up for with Miami, Rosen completed an ugly 53.2 % of his passes, with just one touchdown toss and five picks.
With the nightmare that occurred in Arizona seemingly behind him, Rosen is now going through the same thing once again. With the fifth-overall pick of the ’19 draft, the Dolphins grabbed University of Alabama signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa to lead their offensive unit. What that acquisition will mean for the 23-year old Rosen’s employment with Miami is yet to be determined.
At the moment, Rosen’s future in the league does not appear to be a bright one. Some experts would argue that the youngster has not been given a fair shot to succeed. Be that as it may, Rosen may be running out of chances to prove that he can find success as a quarterback in the National Football League.