Coming out of high school in Bellflower, California during the 2015 recruiting cycle, Josh Rosen was viewed by many as a can’t-miss prospect. He was named to the USA TODAY Sports High School All-America team, and was already getting tabbed as a potential top NFL draft pick.
His freshman year at UCLA, it seemed like it was all coming together for Rosen. The No. 1-rated pro-style quarterback of the 2015 class was named Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. He added Freshman All-American to his list of accolades, as well.
The team finished third in the South Division of the conference, behind USC and Utah. The Bruins would head to the Foster’s Farm Bowl, but lost to Nebraska. Given how Rosen performed, many thought he was on the fast track to becoming the No. 1 overall selection in a future NFL draft.
During his sophomore season, Rosen would miss time with an injury to his throwing shoulder, requiring surgery that forced him to miss the rest of the year. UCLA fell to 4-8 after Rosen led them to a 3-2 record heading into the the game against Arizona State. He wasn’t able to finish that contest, and a 1-6 record followed.
His junior season didn’t go as he would have hoped. Despite putting up the best numbers of his UCLA career, the Bruins finished 6-6 after a 2-0 start. Rosen wouldn’t be cleared for their bowl game, and UCLA would finish 2017 with a 6-7 record. Rosen then declared for the 2018 NFL Draft, as was expected to be one of the first quarterbacks selected.
He was the fourth passer off the board, going to the Arizona Cardinals, who traded up five spots to grab him at the No. 10 overall pick.
Rosen started 13 games during his rookie season. Much like many other rookie quarterbacks before him, he struggled. The team finished 3-10 in his 13 starts. Rosen threw for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. One of his shining moments was leading the Cardinals to victory over San Francisco after being down 15-3 in the fourth quarter. It was one of those flashes where you saw the first-round talent.
Following that season, the Cardinals changed direction and hired Kliff Kingsbury as their new head coach, replacing Steve Wilks after just one season. Following the hire, the team through social media stated that, “Josh is our guy.”
Y’all are having fun with speculation, but… pic.twitter.com/dy4NbJ82iB
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) February 12, 2019
He wasn’t.
Rosen was traded to the Miami Dolphins after the Cardinals spent the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray.
After being named the backup quarterback in Miami, Rosen had to sit and wait for his opportunity. He would get to start three games, and appeared in three others for the Dolphins. He finished the year with one touchdown, five interceptions and 567 yards passing.
Once again, his current team would use their first-round pick on a quarterback. This time, is was Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. Rosen was waived in Miami’s final round of roster cuts this past weekend.
Rosen now finds himself on a new team, but still in the state of Florida. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a member of their practice squad, and now gets a fresh start, along with the chance to learn under arguably the greatest quarterback of all time in Tom Brady. Not to mention Rosen is reunited with his offensive coordinator from Arizona, Byron Leftwich.
Some might wonder if maybe Rosen just doesn’t have what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. What he needs is stability, not being shipped from team to team each year. The biggest thing for Rosen is to be able to sit and learn the offense for more than a year (or a coach, or a team) at a time. Plus, let’s not forget that he is still just 23 years of age.
The future is still bright for Rosen in Tampa Bay.
[vertical-gallery id=623055]