Josh Rosen should get a legitimate chance to win starting job

Josh Rosen was the last of the first-round rookie quarterbacks to make his preseason debut, but he still has the best chance to start Week 1.

Lamar Jackson has played in two preseason games, while Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Sam Darnold had some good moments in their NFL debuts. Josh Rosen was the last of the quarterbacks taken in the first round of April’s draft to make his debut, Saturday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Sam Bradford started the game for the Cardinals and played one series before Rosen entered the game and took over for the rest of the first half. Rosen finished 6-for-13 for 41 yards, without a touchdown or a turnover, playing behind Arizona’s second-team offensive line as center Daniel Munyer struggled with shotgun snaps.

Rosen showed little that would make him a threat to beat out Bradford for the starting job on Saturday night. Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic passed that along as a continuation of training camp, as well as a sign there is not a legitimate competition for the starting job.

But if Rosen gets a chance to work with Arizona’s first-team offense, and a center that can presumably execute a shotgun snap, it’s safe to say his results will be better. As the Cardinals go on with a plan to limit Bradford’s practice and preseason reps, due to his history of knee issues, keeping Rosen from working with the starters over the next two preseason games seems foolish.

Darnold and Allen seem to be in the mix to start Week 1 for their teams, and Darnold is particularly likely to win the job for the New York Jets. With Bradford’s durability concerns in mind, Rosen might as well get a legitimate chance to win the starting job in Arizona. A series or two with the starters in the next preseason game would be a sign the Cardinals coaching staff agrees.