3 pre-draft NFL trades that make too much sense
By Matt Conner
Trade: Josh Rosen to the Washington Redskins
It feels silly to even write about this potential trade for two opposing reasons:
- The Arizona Cardinals are downright silly to employ a general manager willing to take a franchise quarterback 12 months after he traded up to take a franchise quarterback.
- IF the Cardinals insist on taking another QB, this trade seems as obvious as any potential deal we could list.
For any quarterback needy team in the NFL, the fact that one of the most heralded QBs from the previous draft is already available for pennies on the proverbial dollar should create something of a bidding war for Rosen’s services. Instead of having to pay the piper and package together a bevy of picks, Rosen can likely be pried away for a second round pick and maybe an additional draft asset.
Think about this: the Washington Redskins are still only a few months removed from watching their franchise quarterback Alex Smith go down with one of the most gruesome injuries in recent NFL history. There are serious doubts as to whether Smith will ever play again, and even then, it’s hard to say how well he will play. An NFL team simply cannot rely on Smith’s quotes about endurance and crossed fingers at the game’s most important position.
Next: Best NFL player from each state
Enter Rosen. Forget the mediocre stats; the Cardinals offense was abysmal in 2018. Rosen might not be a franchise savior. He might not will a putrid team to win games despite themselves. He can, however, be everything Smith was intended to be in the nation’s capital: an intelligent leader with an accurate arm who can keep the Redskins competitive.