Success of Miami Dolphins trade for Josh Rosen depends on use
The trade for Josh Rosen has been lauded by most as a steal for the Miami Dolphins. I believe that depends on what happens going forward.
I recently wrote a column where I was critical of the trade for QB Josh Rosen. That resulted in me being universally ‘roasted’ by fans and I can understand it to an extent.
It’s true that Miami acquired a QB that was so highly regarded he was selected with the 10th overall pick a year ago. Getting him for a late second rounder this year and a 2020 5th round pick was a coup….if he is Miami’s QB of the future.
“Fans would have been thrilled if Miami had traded up for Rosen last year.”
Would they have? I know I wasn’t alone in stating that I wasn’t a Josh Rosen fan. Coming out of college, his completion percentage (60.9) and TD:INT (barely over 2:1) did not impress me. Neither did his 17-13 record as a starter at UCLA.
*Incidentally, Tannehill, the QB everybody just ran out of town had a higher completion percentage and was 13-7 as a starting QB in college.
“Miami traded a 5th round pick in 2020 for Josh Rosen and a swap of 4th and 6th round picks. The 2nd round pick was a push since they gained that pick back next year.” –Brian Miller
It sounds good to say but you can’t logically pretend they didn’t give up a 2nd round pick because they acquired that pick independently of the Rosen trade. If they didn’t trade for Josh Rosen they could have used that pick on another position.
“Josh Rosen is only going to cost Miami $6.3M over the next three years.”
There is no disputing that fact; provided he stays on the roster for the next three years. What happens if Miami goes the same route as Arizona and drafts a QB high in 2020? Why/How is it going to be less awkward for Miami to keep Rosen on the roster under those circumstances than it would have been for the Cardinals?
If the Dolphins try to trade Rosen next year, does anybody think Miami is getting a 2nd round pick for Rosen? And if you cut him, he will cost $5M in dead money.
“Would you trade a second round pick to acquire a backup QB?”
If Miami decides to draft Tua Tagovailoa, or another QB high in the 2020 draft, then Rosen becomes your backup QB. How does that 2019 second round pick and 2020 5th round pick look now?
If you’ve read this far, which I hope you have, this is where I write the ‘good part’. I still question his accuracy and decision-making but I choose to trust that Jim Caldwell and the rest of the staff can turn Rosen into an NFL starting QB. Maybe a Jared Goff-type transformation?
The personality questions I had about Rosen coming out of last year’s draft have been lessened after the classy way he handled the situation in Arizona. He deserves a fresh start in Miami and I truly hope he gets a fair shot here.
While I was probably overly harsh of the Josh Rosen trade initially, it comes down to how his situation is handled going forward. If the Dolphins just acquired their “QB of the future”, then this trade was an absolute ‘steal’.
If the Dolphins feel the need to draft another QB early in the 2020 draft then the Dolphins spent a 2nd round pick on a one year “experiment” and a backup QB. I think we can agree that would not be considered a good trade.
Now the time for lamenting is over and it’s time to watch how it plays out. Even if the Dolphins do end up having a miserable season, if nothing else, the trade for Josh Rosen gives fans a reason to watch.