Josh Rosen - Pro Football Rumors

Dolphins Receiving Calls About QB Josh Rosen’s Availability

May 21st, 2020 at 9:02am CST by Ben Levine

The Dolphins’ quarterbacks depth chart is plenty crowded, and other teams have apparently caught on. NFL Network’s Michael Giardi reports that Miami has received calls regarding quarterback Josh Rosen‘s availability (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com).

The front office is reportedly in “no hurry” to make a trade, and Williams opines that the organization hasn’t received an offer to their liking.

Rosen, the 10th-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, has struggled to find a home in the NFL. The Cardinals moved him to Miami last offseason after they opted for Kyler Murray with the first-overall pick. Rosen found himself playing behind Ryan Fitzpatrick during much of his first season in Miami, and he’s fallen further down the depth chart after the Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft.

The Dolphins gave up a second-rounder to acquire Rosen last offseason, but it’s unlikely they’d be able to recoup that value in another trade. The quarterback has gone only 3-13 as a starter during his brief career, completing 54.8-percent of his passes for 2,845 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions.

We heard back in February that the 23-year-old could end up sticking around Miami, but that was before the organization used their top pick on a quarterback. For what it’s worth, it sounds like Rosen is optimistic about his future in the NFL, even if that means being a temporary backup.

“I’m very encouraged just in general day to day, in how I’ve developed and watching Fitz do his thing,” Rosen said in December, some time after losing his starting job. “It’s not really the window is opened and closed like that. But there’s a sense of understanding time and opportunity. I’m aware of it, but it’s all for you guys to write about more than for me to worry about. Opportunities will come and I’ll try to seize them.”

This Date In Transactions History: Cardinals Sign Josh Rosen

May 10th, 2020 at 10:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Two years ago, the Cardinals inked their quarterback of the future. At least, they hoped they were getting their quarterback of the future when they signed No. 10 overall pick Josh Rosen.

The Cardinals’ quarterback search was an open secret, one that dragged for years. In 2017, they tried and failed to trade up for Patrick Mahomes – who went No. 10 overall to the Chiefs – leading them to settle for Haason Reddick at No. 13. This time around, they didn’t want to walk out of the 2018 draft with “what-ifs,” so they traded up from No. 15 to the No. 10 pick for Rosen, a promising young passer out of UCLA. .

Most evaluators viewed Rosen as the most polished and most NFL-ready passer in the entire class. There was a lot to like, especially after Rosen threw for 59 touchdowns over the course of three college seasons and saved his best for last. As a junior, Rosen turned in the best TD/INT ratio of his career (26/10) and his best completion rate (62.5%).

Rosen’s talent was apparent – he didn’t have a cannon for an arm, but his technique and footwork were virtually flawless. He was also an all around bright kid, though some evaluators wondered if he was too brainy for his own good. Curiously, his own head coach was among the nay-sayers.

“Because of fit, I would take Sam Darnold if I were the Cleveland Browns,” said Jim Mora, advocating for another QB over his own pupil. “I think that blue collar, gritty attitude, I think his teammates will love him, I think the city will love him. He’ll say the right things. He will come in and he will represent well. I think he kind of represents what Cleveland is. And if I was one of the New York teams, I would take Josh *snap* just like that. I think they will both be great in the pros.”

Later on, Mora backtracked, but only slightly.

“He needs to be challenged intellectually so he doesn’t get bored,” Mora said a few weeks before the draft. “He’s a millennial. He wants to know why. Millennials, once they know why, they’re good. Josh has a lot of interests in life. If you can hold his concentration level and focus only on football for a few years, he will set the world on fire. He has so much ability, and he’s a really good kid.”

Ultimately, the Browns chose the brash confidence of Baker Mayfield over the “gritty attitude” of Sam Darnold. So far, both QBs have greatly outperformed Rosen at the pro level (though, nothing like the No. 32 overall pick, Lamar Jackson).

Rosen went 3-10 as the Cardinals’ starter as a rookie, completing just 55.2% of his throws with 11 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. A deeper look at Rosen’s rookie stats and metrics don’t do him any favors, either. Rosen completed 55% of his throws and averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt. He also finished with a league-worst 26.1 Total QBR and Football Outsiders listed him as the league’s worst full-time quarterback.

Midway through the year, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy got the heave-ho. After the season, head coach Steve Wilks was sent packing. Ditto for Rosen – just one year after the Cardinals selected him, they drafted his replacement in Kyler Murray. All three men would probably point to the Cardinals’ abysmal offensive line as a major factor, but that didn’t save any of their jobs.

Rosen hoped for a fresh start after he was traded to the Dolphins, but he floundered in his three starts and finished the year with one touchdown vs. five picks. Now, with Tua Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick firmly entrenched on the roster, Rosen is once again in NFL limbo.

Dolphins To Keep Josh Rosen?

February 19th, 2020 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins seem intent on heading into 2020 with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their bridge to a rookie quarterback. That leaves Josh Rosen without much of a role, but that won’t necessarily result in the former first-round pick being pushed out of Miami. Rosen is likely to stay on the roster, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald hears.

From a fiscal standpoint, the Dolphins would have little reason to release Rosen. Still on his rookie deal, Rosen is slated to count for just $2.079MM against the 2020 cap. Releasing him would only leave them with a larger dead money hit and zero savings. Cutting Rosen would also be bad optics – they shipped a second-round pick, plus a fifth-round choice, to the Cardinals for him just one year ago.

Rosen hasn’t shown much at the pro level, but he’s still only 23 and not far removed from his impressive game film at UCLA. There’s always the possibility that injuries elsewhere lead to trade interest in Chosen Rosen between now and September. Granted, the Dolphins won’t have a ton of leverage if they’re rostering Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, or another top rookie QB alongside Fitz.

For his part, Rosen has indicated that he wants to stay in Miami, even though that means playing second fiddle to a 37-year-old.

“I’m very encouraged just in general day to day, in how I’ve developed and watching Fitz do his thing,” Rosen said in December, some time after losing his starting job. “It’s not really the window is opened and closed like that. But there’s a sense of understanding time and opportunity. I’m aware of it, but it’s all for you guys to write about more than for me to worry about. Opportunities will come and I’ll try to seize them.”

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Fitzpatrick, Jets

January 15th, 2020 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins enter the offseason with tons of cap room and a bevy of draft capital. Will GM Chris Grier‘s capitalize on those picks? History suggests that he just might. ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe took a trip down memory lane recently, and highlighted some of Grier’s biggest hits over the past three years.

Successful selections include offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil (2016 first-round pick), cornerback Xavien Howard (2016 second-round pick), cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick (2018 first-round pick), and linebacker Jerome Baker (2018 third-round pick). Of course, Grier wasn’t as fortunate in 2017 as he whiffed on first-round defensive end Charles Harris and third-round corner Cordrea Tankersley.

The Dolphins are currently set to pick at Nos. 5, 18, and 26 overall in the first round, but they’re also expected to move around as they kick their rebuild into high gear.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

For what it’s worth, Grier says the Dolphins‘ plan “right now” is for Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen to both be on the offseason roster, as Wolfe writes. It remains to be seen whether Fitzpatrick, 37, will return for another season, but the quarterback has confessed that retirement would be difficult for him. As it stands, Fitzpatrick is under contract for $8MM in 2020 with $4MM guaranteed. Pairing Fitzpatrick with a rookie quarterback like Tua Tagovailoa – who will be ready to throw in April – would make a lot of sense. Meanwhile, it’s hard to see Rosen fitting into the picture.
When asked about the power dynamic between head coach Adam Gase and general manager Joe Douglas, Manish Mehta of the Daily News pointed to the lengths of their respective contracts. Gase, who came along first, received a four-year deal from the club. Douglas, who joined late in the 2019 offseason after Mike Maccagnan‘s ill-time ouster, got a six-year deal with Gang Green. Gase helped push the Jets to hire Douglas, and has influence on personnel decisions, but Mehta writes that Douglas indeed has the upper hand on 53-man roster matters. In other words, as Mehta writes, a tie goes to Douglas.
The Bills could lose assistant GM Joe Schoen to the Browns.

Josh Rosen On Not Starting, His NFL Future

December 20th, 2019 at 6:10pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard recently that Dolphins quarterback Josh Rosen wasn’t likely to play in the final two games of the season, but the second-year pro isn’t getting discouraged. During recent comments to the media, an open Rosen reflected on his year in Miami and his future in the league, via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

When asked if he was disappointed about not playing the final two weeks Rosen demurred, showing respect to Ryan Fitzpatrick. “No. Fitz hasn’t done anything to lose his starting position thus far so I don’t see why anything would change. I obviously would love to play if coach would call me up. I think Fitz has been doing a hell of a job considering all of the circumstances that have been going on this year,” he said.

Rosen added that he “absolutely” hopes to be back in Miami next year, saying “I like it a lot.” It’s long been assumed that the Dolphins will be drafting a passer early next April, which could mean Rosen isn’t starting anytime soon. Many in the media have already written Rosen off, but he isn’t getting discouraged about his longterm prospects despite the multiple setbacks in his brief career.

“I’m very encouraged just in general day to day, in how I’ve developed and watching Fitz do his thing,” he said. “I’m still only 22 years old. It’s not really the window is opened and closed like that. But there’s a sense of understanding time and opportunity. I’m aware of it, but it’s all for you guys to write about more than for me to worry about. Opportunities will come and I’ll try to seize them.”

Rosen has two years left on his rookie deal at very affordable salaries, which makes his situation even more interesting. Assuming the Dolphins are starting a rookie next year, they could use Rosen as a cheap backup or seek to flip him for more draft capital. They won’t be able to get back the second-round pick they gave up for Rosen during this past year’s draft, but it’s possible there’s a team willing to give up something for him as a developmental project.

Fitzpatrick started the year off under center, but was quickly benched in favor of Rosen. The UCLA product ended up starting three games, tossing only one touchdown with five interceptions while completing less than 54 percent of his passes. After starting 13 games for the Cardinals last year his cumulative stats are obviously terrible, but the circumstances he’s been thrust into have been far from ideal.

Rosen has taken a lot of criticism since his college days for his alleged lack of leadership abilities, and he was asked about that on Friday. “I think a lot of that stuff just comes naturally. Comfortability, with guys in the locker room. The offense. Even just with walking around the building and knowing the names of the cafeteria staff. And the janitor,” he explained. “Just getting comfortable with where you are. And just kind of making it your home and getting comfortable with your people and your family. I think as that has happened a lot of the leadership qualities that I pride myself on have started to come through. Because I don’t think you can really step out and lead if you don’t know what you’re doing first.”

Rosen also had a lot of praise for head coach Brian Flores and his staff. It’ll be very interesting to see what happens next with the tenth overall pick of the 2018 draft, and where his bizarre career-path takes him next.

Dolphins Notes: Rosen, Howard, Draft

December 19th, 2019 at 9:31pm CST by Zachary Links

If Josh Rosen ever wants to start for the Dolphins again, he’ll have to satisfy the conditions of coach Brian Flores‘ list, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. What’s on the list? Apparently, only Flores and the QB know the answer.

“I’ve given him that list, for sure,” Flores said Wednesday. “I’m not giving you that list.”

Salguero, speculatively, wonders if Flores is looking for more personality or leadership from Rosen. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who will play ahead of the former No. 10 overall pick pick for the rest of the season, has both in spades. Fitzpatrick, who was asked a general question about camaraderie, agrees on the importance of the intangibles.

“I just think simple things like sitting in the meal room and eating lunch with guys and getting to know guys, something as simple and as silly as that goes such a long way,” Fitzpatrick said. “In my mind, I’m not like ‘Oh, I’m going to sit with Dan Kilgore today because I want him to block better for me.’ That’s not it.

“I think a lot of it is understanding that you’re part of a team and understanding that no one position is better than any other, that we’re all important and we all have to work together, and it’s such a great team sport to get on the same page to succeed. I think knowing guys personally and getting to know them on that level goes a long way towards chemistry and transferring it onto the field. That’s something I’ve just always placed an importance on.”

Rosen, 23 in February, has two years remaining on his original rookie deal, each with modest cap hits.

Here’s more from Miami:

Cornerback Xavien Howard had knee surgery a “couple of days” ago, Flores announced (Twitter link via Salguero). That’s at least the third knee surgery Howard has had with the Dolphins (both left and right) and potentially a bad sign for the young star going forward. Howard inked a five-year, $72.25MM extension with the Dolphins in May and landed on season-ending IR in late October.
In the 2020 draft, Flores says the Dolphins won’t shy away from players who come from a different scheme. “If it’s a good player, the scheme is a scheme versatile defense,” Flores said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). “If we have a good player, we’ll fit – we’ll make it work for set player. That goes at any position; we got a good coaching staff, a lot of creative minds here. We try to put our players in position to make plays. If Lawrence Taylor is available, we would fit the scheme for him; we would do it.” The 3-11 Dolphins are currently slated to pick No. 3 overall. Then, they’ll have two more selections via the Steelers and Texans late in the draft. Those picks are currently projected to fall at Nos. 22 and 23.

Josh Rosen Unlikely To Play Again In 2019

December 16th, 2019 at 7:33pm CST by Rory Parks

With the Dolphins looking to the future, it’s fair to wonder if head coach Brian Flores will reinsert second-year QB Josh Rosen into the starting lineup for the final two games of the season instead of continuing to roll with 37-year-old journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick.

But as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, Flores has shot down the idea that he needs to get another look at Rosen this year. “We will always do what we feel is in the best interests of this team and play the guy that gives us the best chance to win; we feel that’s Ryan,” Flores said. “It’s [been] that way for the last 8 to 10 weeks.”

Of course, Miami acquired Rosen from the Cardinals this offseason for second- and fifth-round picks, and given his status as the No. 10 overall pick of the 2018 draft, it made sense for the draft pick-rich Dolphins to take a flier on the UCLA product. But in six games (three starts) this season, Rosen has completed 53.2% of his passes and has thrown one touchdown against five interceptions. He was similarly disappointing in his rookie campaign with Arizona, and while the 2018 Cardinals and the 2019 Dolphins boasted little offensive firepower of any kind, Jackson says Miami does not view Rosen as its long-term QB.

The team could save a little money by turning back to Rosen, as Fitzpatrick will earn $2.5MM in incentives if he plays in 75% or more of Miami’s offensive snaps this season (he has currently played in 76.9% of the team’s snaps). That money is guaranteed and is in addition to his $5.5MM base salary for 2020, but that is not a pressing issue for the Dolphins, who will have a ton of cap space to work with.

When asked if there is anything more to learn about Rosen by seeing him in additional game action, Flores said, “[y]ou can always get more information, but we have what we have [and that’s] practice reps and the game reps he had and his play for [Arizona] a year ago. The most important thing is what we see in practice on a weekly basis.” Reading between the lines, it sounds like Rosen hasn’t been any more impressive in practice than he has been in games.

QB Notes: Rudolph, Rosen, Wentz

November 20th, 2019 at 12:58pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph told reporters he did not say anything that “escalated” the altercation between him and Myles Garrett, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. Garrett, of course, swung a helmet at Rudolph’s bare head and received an indefinite suspension from the league, which he is currently appealing. While Garrett was not the only player suspended, many have criticized the league for handing no suspension to Rudolph for instigating the situation.

At the moment, Rudolph has yet to hear from the league regarding any punishment, per Kaboly. Although everyone believes a fine will be coming his way.

Here’s some more news surrounding quarterbacks around the league:

While Dolphins head coach Brian Flores revealed Ryan Fitzpatrick would be the team’s starter this week at quarterback, he left the door open for Josh Rosen to retake the mantle at some point in the near future. Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald speculates that a three-game stretch beginning on December 8th could have massive implications for Miami’s draft position. Giving the reigns back to Rosen could both help the team evaluate his long-term future and improve their draft standing, per Beasley.
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has struggled recently. Even with his poor play of late, Philadelphia’s starting center Jason Kelce said he has “all the faith in the world [in Wentz]” during an interview on 94 WIP. At 5-5, the Eagles have failed to live up to lofty expectations and in last week’s 17-10 loss to the Patriots, Wentz completed just 20 of 40 pass attempts. However, with former backup Nick Foles now in Jacksonville, current backup Josh McCown is not going to push Wentz for playing time anytime soon.

AFC Notes: Jackson, Miller, Fitzpatrick

November 20th, 2019 at 11:07am CST by Marc Delucchi

Former Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and the Ravens released a statement denying a report by Michael Lombardi of The Athletic claiming Mornhinweg wanted to move Lamar Jackson to wide receiver. Jackson, of course, was the subject of much debate as a draft prospect with many pundits, including ESPN’s Bill Polian, calling for a position change to wide receiver.

Jackson, however, remained adamant that he was a quarterback, was selected in the first round by Baltimore and has taken the NFL by storm over the past two seasons. Mornhinweg, who was replaced by Greg Roman as the team’s offensive coordinator entering this season, made clear in his statement that “My thoughts before the draft, and even more when we started working with Lamar, was that this young man was going to be a special quarterback.” Regardless of what his opinions were at the time, Jackson has proven he is an NFL signalcaller.

Here’s more notes from around the AFC:

The Broncos were deflated after blowing a 20-0 lead in their 27-23 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. To try and help team moral, all-pro linebacker Von Miller organized a team dinner just a couple hours after landing back in Denver, according to Kyle Newman of the Denver Post. Per Newman’s report, the dinner was a resounding success. Players brought their family members and seemed to rebound from their loss and get ready for another week.
Dolphins head coach Brian Flores told reporters that Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain Miami’s starting quarterback this week against the Browns, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Flores, however, would not rule out the possibility of backup quarterback Josh Rosen retaking the job from Fitzpatrick at some point this season.

Dolphins Revert To Ryan Fitzpatrick

October 16th, 2019 at 10:39am CST by Zachary Links

One week ago, Dolphins coach Brian Flores said Josh Rosen would be his starting quarterback for the rest of the season. On Sunday, he had a change of heart midway through and went with Ryan Fitzpatrick. On Wednesday, Flores announced that Fitzpatrick will lead the charge the rest of the way.

That’s not quite in line with the “rest of the season” vow made to Rosen, but then again, the Dolphins’ season is more or less over here in October. On the plus side – the Dolphins showed serious signs of life on Sunday against the Redskins and nearly came from behind to win with Fitzpatrick under center.

After a few days of evaluating in practice, Flores says Fitz will be his guy. Or, at least, he’ll be Flores’ QB against the Bills on Sunday. What happens after that is TBD.

If it’s any consolation to Rosen – even under the best of circumstances, the Dolphins were, and are, still planning to take a quarterback in the first round of the 2020 draft.