Is Rosen Safe In Miami?

By: Brandon Liguori

Training camp is expected to open in late July, with the Miami Dolphins likely to carry four quarterbacks on the active roster: Ryan Fitzpatrick, entering his 16th year as a professional, Tua Tagovailoa, Miami’s first-round selection this past April, Jake Rudock, who has yet to attempt a pass as a Dolphin and Josh Rosen, acquired during the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft from the Arizona Cardinals.

A former UCLA product, Rosen’s NFL career has been a disaster thus far. As a rookie, Rosen served as Sam Bradford’s backup, but after opening the season winless through three games, Bradford was benched. In 13 starts, Rosen finished a head-scratching 3-10 and completed just 55.2 percent of his passes. Rosen threw three more interceptions than touchdowns and Arizona’s 3-13 mark was the worst in the league.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was brought in after spending his entire six-year collegiate coaching career at Texas Tech, shipped Rosen out in exchange for Kyler Murray, whom the Cardinals selected first overall in 2019. After a back-and-forth competition heading into the 2019 campaign, Dolphins head coach Brian Flores handed the offensive keys to Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick’s group, in the opening two games, was outscored 102-10 vs. Baltimore and New England, thus resulting in an immediate switch at the quarterback position.

Rosen’s debut as a starter came in Week 3 against a dangerous Dallas Cowboys squad in Dallas. Dropping a 31-6 decision, Rosen completed 18 of 39 throws for 200 yards, failing to find the endzone. One week later, a home contest vs. the Los Angeles Chargers, Flores elected to give Rosen a second opportunity to prove his quarterback capabilities to the organization and Rosen delivered a solid first-half performance, tossing a 34-yard touchdown strike to DeVante Parker to give the Dolphins their first lead under Flores. Rosen’s second half was a different story, nonetheless, and the Dolphins’ 30-10 defeat kept the team winless heading into the bye week. Flores stayed with Rosen against the winless Washington Redskins, a game in which both squads were building for the future.

Rosen did not take advantage, throwing two ugly interceptions and was replaced by Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter, who rallied the Dolphins from a 14-point deficit. In three starts as a Dolphin, Rosen threw four more interceptions than touchdowns, leaving his future in Miami on thin ice. Tagovailoa and the Dolphins agreed to a four-year, $30,275,438 contract this past May, including a $19,578,500 signing bonus, putting a large amount of money and trust on Tagovailoa.

Originally, Rosen signed a four-year, $17,597,756 contract with the Cardinals. Rosen is set to make $750,000 this upcoming season and 920,000 in 2021, but the Dolphins should begin finding a new home for Rosen if Tagovailoa thrives with the organization, as Fitzpatrick’s career is pretty much complete. On the current active depth chart, Rosen sits third behind both Fitzpatrick and Tagovailoa, ultimately telling the story.

Brian Flores is entering his second season and there are questions in regards to how well Miami’s free agent defensive acquisitions will perform, whether Byron Jones and Xavien Howard can become lock-down cornerbacks, if Mike Gesicki, Albert Wilson, Preston Williams, Jakeem Grant and Parker will succeed in offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s system, if Tua Tagovailoa will suit up and take a meaningful snap under center, etc. However, does Josh Rosen have a long-term future with the Dolphins? Maybe Tua Tagovailoa’s understudy once Fitzpatrick calls it quits? Only time will tell.

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