An Unfortunate Tale Called, Josh Rosen

The 2019 NFL Draft has been officially over for about a week and a half. This year’s Draft was about as enticing as a sugar cookie without sugar. The slate of quarterbacks was two guys everyone knew (Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins) and a bunch of guys that people had to look up on Wikipedia when their names were called (Daniel Jones, Ryan Finley, and Drew Lock). Actually, what made this Draft, at least the first round, somewhat entertaining was the sheer inanity that the New York Giants’ general manager, Dave Gettleman and the Oakland Raiders’ brainless tyrant, John Gruden, used to make their picks. Gettleman picked quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick even though most experts had Jones going around the 20/21 pick. Gruden used the fourth overall pick to select defensive end, Clelin Ferrell, who was expected to go fifteen spots later. However, it would be Josh Rosen, a quarterback selected with the 10^th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2018 NFL Draft, who would make the 2019 NFL Draft most memorable.

Josh Rosen, in a way, could be stated to be the first NFL player to have been drafted twice. As cbssports.com’s Jason La Canfora iterated best, “the reality is . . . Rosen was the fifth quarterback selected in the 2019 draft, at pick No. 62, by the Dolphins, after fleecing Arizona.” That’s right. In a bizarre turn of events Miami gave up the 62^nd pick and a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft in order to receive the 10^th overall pick from the 2018 draft.

How did this happen?

The best answer is that Arizona is a terribly managed organization. Arizona should have put Josh Rosen on the trade block before the free agency period opened. This failure was exacerbated when, with the first overall pick of the 2019 draft, the Cardinal’s, with the “leadership” of their general manager, Steve Keim, selected Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, Kyler Murray. Essentially it is well established that if a player, any player, but especially a quarterback is taken in the first round they are typically going to be starting sooner than later. Furthermore, unlike an offensive lineman, defender, or running back, there is usually only one quarterback who will start in a game. So, when Murray was picked, every NFL team knew that Arizona now had two quarterbacks, one of which they took with the first overall pick and the other would be contributing to his team by sitting on the bench. The trade appeal for Josh Rosen, or the asking price, just tanked for the Cardinals.

In many respects Josh Rosen is most likely glad he was traded. The dumpster fire Keim has continually fueled doesn’t seem to be letting up. In the offseason, prior to the start of the 2018 season, Keim was provided a contract extension after being arrested for a DUI. Keim then signed veteran quarterback, Sam Bradford, but would later trade three picks to move up so that Keim could select Rosen with the tenth overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Now Keim has traded Rosen for the 62^nd pick.

In his one year in the NFL, Rosen is now on his fourth offensive coordinator. He started out with offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy. McCoy would be fired after week 7 of the 2018 season. Byron Leftwich, the former Jaguars and Steelers quarterback, would be the heir to the offensive coordinator position. Leftwich was fired upon Keim firing his head coach, Steve Wilkes, after Wilkes only had the job for one season. Keim would then hire Kliff Kingsbury, former Texas Tech head coach and a coach with a losing record, who inserted his new offensive coordinator – Tom Clements. Now, Rosen is in South Beach being coached by Chad O’Shea.  This systematic changing of the offensive coordinator coupled with the fact that, according to Pro Football Focus, the Cardinals had the worse pass blocking offensive line in football last year, makes it no surprise that Josh Rosen struggled in his first year.

Will the Stars Be Brighter in Miami?

Unfortunately for Rosen, Miami seems like a dumpster fire in and of itself. Miami just hired a Bill Belichick disciple in Brian Flores. This would be a worthwhile selection if it wasn’t for the fact that Bill Belichick disciples have stunk as head coaches – Josh McDaniels, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and Nick Saban (when he was an NFL coach). Then, of course, the same issues that plagued Arizona also plague the Dolphins – offensive line. Josh Rosen will be going from the 32^nd ranked offensive line to the 31^st ranked offensive line. That doesn’t seem to bode well for a guy who was sacked 45 times in just 14 games.

Finally, there is real concern that the Dolphins may, even without trying, “tank” this season and wind up with one of the top three draft picks in the 2020 draft. Many Dolphin fans have already set their sights on Alabama’s quarterback, Tua Tagoovailoa. If this were to happen, it seems Rosen will become a career backup. He will be remembered as an “involuntary bust.” An involuntary bust is a player who did not live up to expectations, not because his own doing, but his employer’s failure to fully develop their current talent. In Arizona, the front office got rid of the guys who coached Rosen just after a year, and then brought in their own quarterback to replace Rosen. In Miami the season will most likely be a dud with fingers pointed at Rosen and chants to “tank for Tua” growing even louder.

Rosen must play above and beyond this season in order to beat out Tua. That will be difficult to do considering Rosen is playing for a team whose season goal is to play bad enough to “earn” the “honor” to pick Tua.

Josh Rosen’s NFL starting career, although most likely will be brief, is a life lesson in how “being in the right place at the right time” can make all the difference.