5 trades that will give Josh Rosen the fresh start he needs
The Miami Dolphins may be inclined to keep Josh Rosen, but these five teams can give him the fresh start he really needs.
As the 10th overall pick in the 2018 draft, Josh Rosen walked into an Arizona Cardinals’ situation that was in decline under first-year head coach Steve Wilks. So it’s hardly shocking he struggled, with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 14 games (13 starts) while taking 45 sacks.
The Cardinals earned the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, and selected Kyler Murray. Rosen was then shipped to the Miami Dolphins for two draft picks. In six games (three starts) for Miami last year, Rosen completed just over 53 percent of his passes with one touchdown and five interceptions. He didn’t throw a pass after Week 6, as Ryan Fitzpatrick took the reigns and never gave them back.
The Dolphins were in line to draft a quarterback with the fifth pick in April’s draft, and they indeed took Tua Tagovailoa. Fitzpatrick may open the season as the starter, but if Tagovailoa is healthy he has a good chance to see time as a rookie.
It’s a different situation in Miami, but Rosen is the odd-man out again. Michael Giardi of NFL Network reported this past week the Dolphins have gotten calls about Rosen, but are “in no hurry” to trade him. There’s a case for Miami to keep him, with two years of cheap contract control left before a fifth-year option for 2022 that they’re not going to pick up themselves.
In any case, Rosen still has the talent that made him a top-10 pick. He has literally landed into two of the worst situations a young quarterback can land in, though the Cardinals and Dolphins are on their way up heading into the 2020 season. There’s a strong case for him needing a fresh start more than player in the NFL.
Rosen is almost surely headed for his third team in as many NFL seasons, eventually. These five teams can give him the fresh start he sorely needs.
5 trades to save Josh Rosen’s career
5. New Orleans Saints
Upon signing his one-year deal with the Saints, Jameis Winston said it himself.
“Being a part of the New Orleans Saints, being a part with Drew Brees, Taysom Hill, Sean Payton, coach Joe Lombardi, coach Pete Carmichael. When you think about that room, that’s like a Harvard education in quarterback school,”
Brees may be heading into his final NFL season, and the Saints seem ready to anoint Taysom Hill as the successor to the future Hall of Famer despite minimal evidence he’s a capable quarterback. Winston could show himself as a future option, or follow the Teddy Bridgewater path to a lucrative contract with another team next March. In a nutshell, exactly who the Saints’ quarterback will (or should?) be in 2021 is a question.
At this point in time, the Saints aren’t very likely to trade for Rosen and that knocks them down this list. But there’s a chance the idea lands on their radar during the coming season, and there may not be a better place for him to reset.