What’s Josh Rosen’s ceiling after two disappointing years?

Josh Rosen is seeking an opportunity in the NFL.

Josh Rosen has had an absolutely brutal, and arguably unfair, start to his NFL career. He was drafted No. 10 overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, only to be traded to the Miami Dolphins a year later.

He is now reportedly being shopped in trades and could soon be on his third team in three years. He is still only 23 years old and teams out there may be wondering why the Cardinals and Dolphins were so quick to move on. Getting him in the right system could turn his fortunes around, but what even is his ceiling in the NFL?

Figuring out Josh Rosen’s potential

Rosen’s only significant playing time came in 2018 with the Cardinals. He threw for 2,278 yards in 14 starts and had 11 touchdowns to go along with 14 interceptions. The rookie took 45 sacks and the offense was so bad the team fired its coach and drafted Kyler Murray to be the new quarterback of the future in 2019.

He then made three starts in Miami last season but still only had limited action as Ryan Fitzpatrick willed that team to five victories. The Dolphins then drafted Tua Tagovailoa and Rosen went down to the third man on the depth chart.

There were certainly question marks surrounding Rosen coming out of UCLA. But he was still seen as a good enough prospect to go No. 10 overall.

Landing on a team that will give him a legitimate chance if the first step to figuring out his potential. As of right now his ceiling appears to be set as a backup quarterback. He is an intelligent individual and that alone had some scouts questioning his desire to play in the NFL.

Rosen did have over a 60 percent completion percentage in college and threw for 3,756 yards in his final season. So he was not objectively bad by any measure. It’s not like the Cardinals were ridiculed for taking him so high.

The problem for Rosen may be the lack of fair opportunities so far in his career. Rookie quarterbacks are expected to struggle and the Cardinals dumped Rosen after a year. He was then sent to the Dolphins in a year that saw the organization actively trying to lose to draft a top quarterback.

We are not going to learn his true ceiling until he lands on a team that isn’t going to throw him on the field to fail. He clearly needs more time to develop and some talent surrounding him on offense wouldn’t hurt either.

Being only 23 years old gives Rosen the benefit of time to continue learning as a backup for now. He can spend a few years on the sidelines and still be 25 or 26 years old seeking a starting job.

Never getting a fair shot has doomed other quarterbacks in the past. Being realistic and considering Rosen a backup for now can help raise his ceiling over the next few years.