Josh Rosen could be playing in a Vipers or a Bucs uniform by 2021.
On day two of the 2019 NFL Draft, the former first-round pick was traded from the team that drafted him, the Arizona Cardinals, to the Miami Dolphins for a third-round pick. The Dolphins cut him this past week, and the Bucs quickly signed the former UCLA Bruin to their practice squad.
That may sound like a guy who lacks talent, but it could be argued that he has been the recipient of some bad luck. The Cardinals were an awful team when he was under center, and their 3-13 record (worst in the NFL that year) proved it. However, it’s important to point out they lost their first three games with Sam Bradford as the starter, Rosen only getting named the starter in Week 4. So, for those counting at home, he accounted for all of their wins (all three of them). He certainly was not the only issue, and he certainly was not the biggest. Arizona only moved on from him because their new head coach had heart eyes for Kyler Murray.
As for his short stint with the Dolphins? Well, it’s hard to ignore their fire sale of guys like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Laremy Tunsil. The Dolphins were a truly awful team too, and their rebuild came at the expense of developing the young former tenth-overall pick.
Now, being on a practice squad is exactly where Rosen needs to be right now, but could he make the Bucs’ roster as a quality backup? The Bucs’ current backups, Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin, are not bad as backup guys go, but Rosen was drafted in the first round for a reason. Griffin went undrafted and has yet to actually start a game, and Gabbert has bounced around from team to team.
Rosen also has something that Ryan Griffin doesn’t have; in-game experience. Griffin played a series last year in Week 14 against the Colts when Jameis Winston went down with a hand injury. But that’s it. Rosen may have been below-average in the games he played, but surround him with the Bucs’ treasure trove of offensive weapons and things might go a little differently.
Another pro for Rosen is his youth. He’s still only 23 (the first-overall pick of this year’s draft Joe Burrow is only three months older than Rosen), similar to how young Jameis was due to being drafted at age 21. Rosen could even be the third-string QB, allowing for Gabbert (the more experienced and slightly-more-successful veteran) to be the true backup. Having a guy with 2,845 career passing yards as opposed to Griffin, who has 18, at the third-string spot is quite an upgrade, giving the Bucs even more depth.
And who knows? Maybe Rosen spending some time learning from TB12 allows him to develop into the QB Arizona envisioned him being when they drafted him in 2018.
But if the Bucs leave him on the practice squad, an XFL team would be incredibly smart to try to sign him. Rosen might be eager to prove himself, and he probably will not get the chance on the practice squad. On national TV though, playing for a team like the Vipers? He could play well and earn a real backup job with another team.
Or maybe he craps out, showing that he truly was a bust and that I still have no idea what I’m talking about.
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This article appears in Sep 3-9, 2020.