Josh Rosen

Poll: Which Team’s New QB Will Have Best Season?

June 1st, 2019 at 4:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

While this offseason did not bring quite the same level of quarterback movement 2018’s did, a handful of teams will deploy new starters. Draft choices, trade acquisitions and free agent signings will be given the keys to offenses that struggled last season.

The Broncos, Cardinals, Dolphins, Jaguars and Redskins made moves to fortify their quarterback jobs. Which team’s investment will work out best?

Denver will use a different starting quarterback for the third straight year. Joe Flacco is set to be the Broncos’ fourth starter since Peyton Manning‘s retirement. While his QBR figure (58.7) was better than any the former Ravens starter had posted since a quality 2014 season, Flacco still ranked 20th in that metric last season. Having never made a Pro Bowl and fresh off back-to-back years featuring injury trouble, with a back problem limiting him during the 2017 offseason and a hip injury beginning the Lamar Jackson era, the 34-year-old starter will try to revive his career in Denver. Flacco, though, is the most accomplished quarterback the Broncos have employed since Manning.

The other surefire veteran starter acquired this year, Foles will have his first chance to be a team’s unquestioned first-stringer since 2015. The 30-year-old flourished in his second Philadelphia stint, submitting an all-time postseason run in 2017 and helping the Eagles back to the playoffs last season. A 2013 Pro Bowler, Foles will take over a Jaguars team that does not possess the kind of aerial weaponry recent Eagles rosters did. Jacksonville is in line to have Marqise Lee back from a torn ACL, but the team’s wideouts and tight ends will place additional emphasis on Foles living up to his contract. With the Rams in 2015, Foles threw seven touchdown passes and 10 interceptions before being benched.

Kyler Murray represents the other locked-in starter added this offseason. The electric one-year Oklahoma starter accomplished about as much as a college passer can in a single season, turning in Division I-FBS’ second-ever 4,000-1,000 season en route to Heisman Trophy honors. Working with Kliff Kingsbury, Larry Fitzgerald and a host of young wide receivers, Murray is the centerpiece of one of the most daring experiments an NFL team has attempted.

The Cardinals turned the keys over to a sub-.500 college coach and a 5-foot-10 signal-caller — the first sub-6-foot passer to be chosen in Round 1. Arizona trotted out the league’s worst scoring and total offense last season, however, and sported a skeleton-crew offensive line by year’s end. The Cards added new starters Marcus Gilbert and J.R. Sweezy up front. Due to the lack of precedent behind this move, it is hard to tell how Murray will fare. But the unique talent has opened as Las Vegas’ offensive rookie of the year favorite.

Washington and Miami have not committed to a starting quarterback yet, but it is fairly safe to project Dwayne Haskins and Josh Rosen will see extensive time. While Case Keenum and Ryan Fitzpatrick could log starts, with the latter possibly even on track to do so, the Redskins have liked what their first-round pick has done so far and the Dolphins will need to see Rosen in games to help determine if they will consider a first-round QB in 2020. On the heels of a 50-touchdown pass season, the Ohio State product sits second in offensive rookie of the year odds. Although only eight passers have won this award since 1957, seven such instances have occurred since 2004.

Both Daniel Jones and Drew Lock could factor into their respective teams’ mixes later in the season. Of the 13 first-round QBs taken over the past four years, only Patrick Mahomes and Paxton Lynch were not promoted to the starting role as rookies. (Though, Eli Manning is not your typical stopgap.) Lock was projected by most as a first-rounder, and Flacco ceded his role to the No. 32 overall pick last year. So the 12th-year veteran’s grip on Denver’s job should be considered tenuous.

Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Latest On Dolphins, Josh Rosen

April 30th, 2019 at 7:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sent to the Dolphins for second- and fifth-round picks, Josh Rosen apparently did not go on the trade block until minutes before the Cardinals selected Kyler Murray.

Steve Keim texted Rosen’s agent, Ryan Williams, just before the Murray pick to give him permission to join the Cardinals in finding a Rosen trade partner, Robert Klemko of SI.com reports. When Keim asked Williams if the Patriots were interested in making Rosen Tom Brady‘s heir apparent, Williams wondered why this wasn’t worked out weeks ago — when the Murray-to-Arizona rumors started.

The Redskins laughed at the Cardinals’ request for a first-round pick, per Klemko, who adds Keim did have a contingency plan that involved keeping both Murray and Rosen on the roster.

The Dolphins did not enter into the Rosen equation until the draft was 20 minutes old, with the Giants’ and Redskins’ first-round quarterback picks eliminating the other primary Rosen suitors. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if the NFL was responsible for the Cardinals’ 11th-hour approach to dealing their previous starter, with a pre-draft Rosen trade removing the drama surrounding the first overall pick.

When Keim and Chris Grier spoke at the Combine, Rosen’s name did not come up, per Albert Breer of SI.com. Grier called Keim about Rosen 20 minutes into the draft, but Breer adds the GMs did not reconnect on the quarterback until Friday afternoon.

“We’d fielded some calls from some people asking if we were willing to move down in the second round,” Grier said, via Breer. “Our goal before the draft was, if we’re able to pick up a first or a second in 2020, that was something we’d consider. But we were more than willing to take a player at (pick No.) 48. There was a player we really liked. And we had a couple calls.

“We were ready to pick at 62 (after a trade with the Saints). And I’m telling you, Steve was pushing hard for what he wanted, and so were we. So we were to a point there where I wasn’t sure if it was going to get done or not.”

Miami’s previous front office studied Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen more closely than Rosen as prospects last year, Breer notes, due to the thinking, at the time, those two had a better chance of dropping to the team’s No. 11 overall draft slot in 2018. Because the Dolphins were able to land Rosen at an extreme discount, compared to his No. 10 overall price last year, Grier said the pick will not stop them from looking at first-round-caliber quarterbacks next year.

“Every team in the league is looking for that guy that’s going to lead them to championships,” Grier said. “And so for us, we’re in a position where we’re trying to find that guy, like a lot of teams in the league. So yeah, it was an easy decision. And it doesn’t stop us from doing anything in the future. Who knows? If things go well and we feel he’s the guy, who knows? But it doesn’t stop us from doing anything.”

The Dolphins were the first team reported to be playing a 2020 long game at quarterback, having been connected to what is expected to be a Tua Tagovailoa– and Justin Herbert-fronted 2020 class for months. They will enter this season with Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick headlining their quarterback room, likely set to observe the former’s development while studying top college prospects. The Cardinals will go into OTAs with Murray and Brett Hundley as the main cogs in their quarterback room.

“I absolutely would have competed if (the Cardinals) kept me, but I would’ve been kind of bummed about it because I knew I wouldn’t get a fair shake,” Rosen said, via Klemko. “A GM’s not going to draft a quarterback and draft another one the next year, higher, and then play the first one. It’s admitting you made two mistakes. It just wouldn’t happen.”

AFC East Notes: Rosen, Patriots, Darron Lee, Bills

April 28th, 2019 at 7:58pm CST by Micah Powell

The Dolphins weren’t the only team interested in trading for Josh Rosen, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson writes. Jackson sites an NFL official who was in contact with the Cardinals after the trade was announced, and mention the Patriots as another team that was attempting to acquire the 2018 first-rounder.

Rosen, of course, ended up in Miami, and New England took its own quarterback when it tabbed Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham in the fourth round. In the weeks leading up to the draft, New England was mentioned, along with several other teams, as a potential landing spot for the quarterback.

With other teams being interested, it helps explain why the Dolphins were willing to part with a 2019 second-rounder, and a fifth-round pick in 2020.

Here’s more from around the AFC East:

Teddy Bruschi thinks the Patriots might have been led to draft N’Keal Harry in the first round because of the physical presence Josh Gordon brought to the team last year, ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes. “They get him last year, put a 6-3, 225-pound target out there and see what a great piece it was for them, how great it was for Tom Brady,” Bruschi theorized. “Maybe that changed the perception of what they might need.” Of course, the Patriots haven’t picked a receiver in the first round in the Bill Belichick era, so the theory could be accurate.
Sticking in New England, the video that led to the arrest of team owner Robert Kraft will eventually be released to the public, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes. The judge ruled the tape can be released in a way that won’t taint the jury pool.
The Jets have been shopping linebacker Darron Lee throughout the offseason, and that isn’t expected to stop now that the 2019 draft has concluded, Pro Football Talk’s Darin Gantt writes. Lee became expendable once the team brought in C.J. Mosley.
Also in New York, team general manager Mike Maccagnan has reportedly been on the hot seat. If the team does make a change, one exec to keep an eye on is Joe Douglas with the Eagles, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets. La Canfora mentions the Eagles exec has ties to Jets first-year head coach Adam Gase.
The Bills made a splash in the undrafted free agent pool, signing local product Tyree Jackson. Buffalo reportedly couldn’t believe the Buffalo quarterback wasn’t drafted, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio writes. “He was on our draft board to be drafted. I’m surprised. You saw his name still sitting there late in the seventh, and you start going, ‘Man, if this kid doesn’t get drafted, we’re going to have to go after him.’ And we did,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. Jackson is expected to compete for the team’s backup spot to Josh Allen.
The Dolphins already boast 12 picks in the 2020 draft. General manager Chris Grier says that is to be the rule going forward, the Miami Herald’s Adam Beasley tweets. Beasley predicts the team is expected to use its cap space next offseason to buy even more draft picks rather than signing top free agents.

Cardinals To Trade Josh Rosen To Dolphins

April 26th, 2019 at 8:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Rosen is headed out of Arizona after one season. The Dolphins will be the team that pulls the trigger on the former top-10 pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

It turns out, the Dolphins’ recent trade-down maneuver proved key. The Dolphins will trade their recently acquired No. 62 overall pick to the Cardinals, Schefter added. The teams had discussed the former UCLA quarterback most of the day, with the Cardinals having initially asked for the Dolphins’ first-round pick. Miami then balked at its No. 48 overall choice, but now the teams have agreed. And Rosen and Kyler Murray will not be teammates.

With the pick, the Cardinals selected wideout Andy Isabella out of UMass. The Cardinals will also receive a 2020 fifth-round pick, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

While Rosen’s stock has taken a massive hit after a rough rookie season — when he rated across the board as Football Outsiders’ worst full-time quarterback, albeit in a bad situation — the Dolphins landing a 2018 No. 10 overall pick for the 2019 62nd selection could be immense value. As far as traditional stats go, the 6-foot-4 passer finished with 2,278 yards in 13 games, throwing 11 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions as a 21-year-old rookie.

Kliff Kingsbury said multiple times this offseason Rosen was his quarterback, and the 2018 Cards’ starter reported for the team’s offseason workouts. But the long-rumored Murray pick happened, making the Cardinals the first team since the 1982-83 Baltimore Colts to select first-round quarterbacks in back-to-back years. A day later, Rosen is bound for south Florida.

Rosen, though, is going to a roster that may be worse off than his most recent one. The Dolphins have made no secret of the fact they are rebuilding, and many veterans that were part of the 2018 Miami outfit are no longer there. Contract-wise, this also represents value. Rosen is owed less than $7MM through 2021.

The Dolphins signed Ryan Fitzpatrick, and it is possible the veteran remains their Week 1 starter. Rosen could be allowed to further develop behind Fitzpatrick, but it is fairly safe to assume the formerly coveted prospect will see extensive time this season.

The Redskins and Giants represented the other main players for Rosen, but both NFC East teams took quarterbacks on Thursday night. Miami did not, drafting defensive lineman Christian Wilkins instead. The Broncos traded up in front of the Dolphins on Thursday, grabbing Drew Lock. That may have been the final impetus for the Fins to offer a second-round pick for their possible long-term quarterback solution.

Dolphins, Cardinals Nearing Josh Rosen Trade?

April 26th, 2019 at 1:12pm CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins and Cardinals are nearing a trade that would send 2018 first-rounder Josh Rosen from the desert to South Beach, per Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). PFT says that the deal, which may be tentatively complete, would see the Dolphins send tonight’s No. 48 overall pick to the Cards.

However, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network tweets that the No. 48 pick is a little rich for Miami’s blood, so the Fins may ask the Cards to kick in some later-round compensation to balance the scales, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald on Twitter) says that a trade is not close. Albert Breer of TheMMQB agrees with Rapoport, saying that a deal is not done but that the lines of communication are definitely open (Twitter link). The two sides are expected to talk again this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears the Dolphins would not give up their No. 48 pick for the QB, which seems to indicate that A. The deal is far from done and B. The Dolphins may be willing to walk if a deal cannot be agreed upon soon.

Initially, the Cardinals asked for a first-round pick, which the Dolphins declined. Miami brass had a third- or fourth-round pick in mind for the 2018 No. 10 overall selection, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. Talks are expected to resume, but Anderson notes the teams are still fairly far apart.

If the trade is completed, it would end one of the more interesting journeys for a first-round QB in recent memory. Everyone in the league seemed to know that Arizona, which traded up in the first round to select Rosen last year, was willing to deal the UCLA product as soon as Kyler Murray declared for this year’s draft. The Cardinals did the expected and made Murray the No. 1 overall pick last night, and we learned today that Arizona GM Steve Keim began shopping Rosen in earnest only minutes before the draft began, so he may have played this one incorrectly.

On the other hand, recouping a second-round pick for Rosen would still be a decent salvage job, as Rosen and Murray cannot feasibly coexist on the Cardinals’ roster, and since several clubs that could have been Rosen suitors selected collegiate passers last night, Keim does not have a ton of leverage at the moment.

From the Dolphins’ perspective, the rebuilding outfit would get a QB with a first-round pedigree who has some flaws and who is coming off a disappointing rookie campaign, but who has a franchise-caliber arm and size. Plus, as Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com tweets, the Cardinals have already paid 65% of Rosen’s rookie contract.

In that sense, it’s a low-risk move for the Dolphins with a potentially high reward. If Rosen — who would presumably compete with Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job in 2019 — lives up to his draft status, Miami’s rebuild would be accelerated and it could address a different need with its early draft picks in 2020. If he doesn’t, then the Dolphins will not be much worse off than they are now.

Latest On Cardinals, Josh Rosen

April 26th, 2019 at 10:15am CST by Zachary Links

Josh Rosen is most definitely available after the Cardinals used their No. 1 overall pick on quarterback Kyler Murray. Rosen, meanwhile, appears to be fed up with the Cardinals. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) notes, Rosen unfollowed the Cardinals on Instagram after last night’s draft.

Rosen, presumably, wants out of Arizona, but this saga could drag on for a while. The Giants, Dolphins, and Chargers previously discussed Rosen with Cardinals GM Steve Keim, but the Giants are presumably out of the hunt after selecting Duke QB Daniel Jones with the No. 6 overall pick. The same goes for the Redskins after they landed Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, but head coach Jay Gruden says the team wasn’t interested in Rosen anyway (Twitter link via Dianna Russini of ESPN.com).

Meanwhile, Keim didn’t start taking calls and texts on Rosen trade until minutes before the draft started, sources tell Robert Klemko of The MMQB (on Twitter). Keim’s apparent effort to keep the Murray pick under wraps may have hurt him – multiple potential suitors found young QBs of their own and no one came close to offering the first-round pick the Cardinals wanted.

Dolphins, Cardinals Discussing Rosen Trade

April 26th, 2019 at 8:48am CST by Ben Levine

We heard earlier this week that the Dolphins had spent more time researching Josh Rosen than any other team in the NFL. So this morning’s news shouldn’t be all that surprising; NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins and Cardinals continue to discuss a trade for the quarterback. The reporter cautions that nothing is imminent, noting that Arizona isn’t looking to give away last year’s 1oth-overall pick.

Rosen is on the block after the Cardinals used last night’s first-overall pick on quarterback Kyler Murray. After moving on from Ryan Tannehill, the Dolphins inked veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick to be their QB in March. Of course, the veteran isn’t a long-term solution at the position, so it’s only natural that Miami would be intrigued by Rosen.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that a trade is a foregone conclusion. The Dolphins could eye a signal-caller during today’s portion of the draft, with Missouri’s Drew Lock being among the best players remaining. They could alternatively hold out and hope that one of next year’s top prospects (a grouping that should be headlined by Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa) fall into their lap.

If the Dolphins are indeed focused on acquiring Rosen, it sounds like their competition is dwindling. As Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com points out, the Cardinals seemingly lost a pair of Allen suitors last night after the Giants selected Daniel Jones (No. 6) and Washington took Dwayne Haskins (No. 15).

As Gantt writes, teams like the Chargers and Patriots could be matches, but these organizations obviously already have starting quarterbacks. The writer opines that the Cardinals’ best option may be to wait for an injury to occur during training camp.

Chargers Out On Josh Rosen?

April 25th, 2019 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

To many, the Chargers are the most logical destination for Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen. Apparently, those in the Chargers front office do not agree. The Chargers had some interest in Rosen at one point, but they are not pursuing a trade at this time, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears.

The Bolts are obviously set in 2019 with Philip Rivers as their starting QB, but they need to start thinking about the future as Rivers looks ahead to his 38th birthday. There are some interesting QBs in this year’s draft, but one can’t help but wonder why the Chargers wouldn’t pounce on the opportunity to land last year’s No. 10 overall pick for .40 cents on the dollar.

It’s possible that the Cardinals are still holding out for a first-round pick (unlikely to happen) or a second-round choice (a bit more likely, but still improbable). Hypothetically, a deal involving the Chargers’ No. 60 overall pick near the back of the second round for Rosen and a later-round choice could get the job done, but that would depend on the Chargers’ overall interest in Rosen and the Cardinals’ desperation to sell.

For what it’s worth, some in Arizona feel that Rosen could co-exist with Kyler Murray, if he is indeed the choice at No. 1 overall.

Josh Rosen Is Unaware Of Cardinals’ Plans

April 25th, 2019 at 9:53am CST by Rory Parks

If the Cardinals select quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick tonight, as most expect, then Josh Rosen will almost certainly be traded, either during the draft or after. His trade market has been fluctuating quite a bit recently, but Arizona will likely be able to get a decent return from some team that misses out on a collegiate signal-caller over the next several days.

But as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Rosen himself remains in the dark. The team has given him no indication one way or another as to what it intends to do tonight, which would create a rather uncomfortable situation if Murray is not the pick.

If the Cardinals don’t take Murray, they will have to do a lot of work to mend fences and repair their relationship with a player that just one year ago was deemed their franchise quarterback. The same will hold true if they draft Murray and, for one reason or another, keep Rosen on the roster. Rosen has already admitted that he is frustrated by the situation, which is certainly understandable.

All of that makes it more likely, in Florio’s view, that the Cardinals will indeed take Murray tonight and will trade Rosen in the very near future. Rosen just doesn’t know that yet.

Redskins Not Interested In Josh Rosen?

April 24th, 2019 at 11:23am CST by Zachary Links

Previously, we heard that the Redskins have cooled on Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen. Now, it sounds like they could be out of the chase entirely. The Redskins do not have any plans to trade with the Cards, sources tell Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Somehow, the market for last year’s No. 10 overall pick seems rather soft, even though there are several teams in need of a promising young quarterback. The latest word is that the Dolphins have done more homework on Rosen than anyone else, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would be willing to fork over a first or even second-round pick for the UCLA product.

The Cardinals could be hours away from selecting Kyler Murray as their quarterback of the future, but they haven’t been active in trade talks on Rosen recently. That could support word that the Cardinals are comfortable with keeping Rosen on the roster until they get the right offer, even if Murray is the pick. It could also be an indication that the Cardinals are ready to take a defender with the No. 1 choice, though that would be a shock to many.

The Chargers and Giants have also checked in on Rosen, though the G-Men have the draft ammo necessary to get a rookie QB of their own. That could leave the Chargers – who pick at No. 28 overall – as the more likely landing spot for Rosen.

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