The Miami Dolphins traded a 2nd-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft for former top-10 draft selection Josh Rosen — a decision that is pointed to as a source of criticism for general manager Chris Grier. Detractors will say that it was a “wasted pick” and that Miami, given how Rosen has been unable to commandeer the Dolphins offense in 2019, will never see a viable return on that investment.
Maybe, maybe not. Right now, Brian Flores and company have made the executive decision to put Rosen on the back burner and let the young quarterback continue to work on all of the little things that need to be second nature if one is going to be an effective starting quarterback. Coming into Miami, Rosen had never been asked to do a lot of those little things — such as having total control of adjustments at the line of scrimmage or identifying the MIKE linebacker before the snap.
It’s the right move for Rosen, even if his unceremonious benching was handled in a questionable way during Weeks 6 and 7 of the 2019 season by Miami’s staff. But will Rosen get another crack at getting under center with the Dolphins?
Brian Flores seems to think so. Flores was asked yesterday about Miami’s “evaluation” of things this season and if Rosen needed to get plugged back into the lineup to revisit his standing.
“I think Josh has done a lot of good things in practice. He really has. He’s throwing the ball well, he’s making good decisions, he’s throwing with more accuracy. At the end of the day, ‘Fitz’ has played well also and he has a rapport with the team. Not that Josh doesn’t – Josh does as well and he’s building from that standpoint…you can see the improvement. But we just feel like going with ‘Fitz’ is the best thing for us to win the game or to try to win the game on Sunday,” said Flores.
“From meetings to walkthroughs to all of the preparation, as a coaching staff we’re with them on a daily basis and I think we have a good feel for what that is. To answer your question, for Josh and the steps he’s got to take, I think he’s taken those steps. I think in due time, he’ll get his opportunity.”
If not now against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16, when?
Rosen isn’t going anywhere. The Dolphins have him under control for several more seasons and will be paying the former top pick pennies on the dollar to be on the roster. This was part of the appeal of that “wasted pick” Dolphins detractors point to — the risk of the cost to trade for Rosen was mitigated by his financial cost. But Rosen was a top-10 pick for a reason — he’s got a really nice arm and who knows what things will look like if he’s able to digest his responsibilities and growth so that it becomes second nature.
Miami was probably always going to draft a quarterback in 2020, even immediately after trading for Josh Rosen. But given how the Dolphins haven’t given the job to Rosen despite his youth, it’s within reason to feel that perhaps Miami wouldn’t outright give a rookie quarterback the job over Rosen, either.
In the long-term, of course the rookie would be the intended starter. But for 2020? Who is to say Josh Rosen doesn’t show a better handle on the playbook and start the 2020 season? And if he plays well, maybe Miami will be in a position to get that return on investment that looks so bleak right now.
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