What’s the rush for Miami Dolphins to start Josh Rosen?
Head coach Brian Flores appears to be in no rush to start quarterback Josh Rosen. The fans, and much of the local media think Rosen should start week one.
I admit that, originally, I was thinking the same thing as the fans/media; If Rosen and veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick appear to be about even why not start the younger guy? However, the more I think about it, the more starting Fitzpatrick might be the smart move.
“We need to find out if Rosen is ‘the one’ before next year’s draft”
Does Rosen have to start all 16 games to do that?
If Brian Flores doesn’t start Rosen until week five, does 12 starts make it that much less likely to predict Rosen’s ability to be the long-term answer? Not really. Meanwhile, Rosen gets another month to acclimate to Flores’ system and gives the Dolphins offensive line another month to gel in front of him. Maybe, when Rosen does get in there, he won’t be running for his life.
“We gave up a 2nd round pick for him.”
And?
If the Dolphins had drafted Ryan Finley or Jarrett Stidham in the second round, would fans be equally impatient about shoving them into the lineup in their first year?
If so, then most people would say they’re asking too much of a rookie.
If not, then why does the fact that Rosen spent one season on a terrible Arizona Cardinals team make him more qualified to be rushed onto the field?
“If Miami doesn’t have an answer on Rosen, then they have to draft another quarterback in 2020.”
Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. Nobody knows what the 2019-20 college season will bring for the nation’s top quarterback prospects. Players like Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jake Fromm all had their moments in 2018 but none is universally considered a ‘franchise QB’.
Depending on how Rosen looks this season, Miami could still draft one of those players and the Dolphins would have a true QB competition for the first time since Dan Marino’s rookie season.
Or the Dolphins could bypass a quarterback in 2020, allow Rosen to have another year to develop and use the draft to build around him. If he fails to impress after two years, the team is probably in a position to draft Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 draft.
Worst case scenario, the Dolphins gave up a 2nd round pick for a backup QB making that will make less than $3M each of the next three seasons.
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“Why does Flores think Fitzpatrick is the better option?”
Whatever Flores’ thought process, the bottom line is that fans have to do something they have found very hard to do….trust.
Trust that Flores knows best.
Trust that he won’t sacrifice the long-term good of the franchise for the potential to win 1-2 more games with Fitzpatrick.
I am not sure Flores knows how hard it is for fans to trust anybody in this franchise after what they have had to endure the last 20 years. That being said, he deserves the benefit of the doubt and we need to give it to him.