One team's trash is another team's treasure. The Arizona Cardinals decided to give up on Josh Rosen after just one season. They traded up to take the UCLA product with the 10th pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. Just one year later, Arizona will have a new rookie quarterback and head coach.
For the Miami Dolphins, they get to finally close the book on Ryan Tannehill and move forward with a potential franchise player.
Rosen entered Arizona in the midst of a terrible situation. He played under a poor offensive coordinator in Mike McCoy, who was fired after a 1-6 start. Steve Wilks lasted just one season as head coach of the Cardinals. Rosen played 14 games last season as a rookie. He threw for 2,258 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also threw 14 interceptions. The Cardinals had one of the worst offensive lines in football in 2018.
Rosen was shipped to Miami for a second and fifth-round pick. He will go from one mediocre team to another, but he will have the chance to develop as a player in Miami.
Here are four things to know about the Dolphins' new franchise quarterback.
UCLA Legend
Rosen was a five-star recruit out of St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California. He committed to UCLA and became the first true freshman to start a season opener for the Bruins. In his debut, he completed 28 of 35 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns. He led UCLA to a 34-16 win over Virginia.
Rosen was a three-year starter at UCLA before turning pro. His freshman season was a strong one as he threw for 3,669 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Rosen continued to progress during his college years in a pro style offense. He turned his collegiate success into a top-10 draft selection and what he hopes to be a long, successful career.
Tennis Prodigy
Before Rosen began taking snaps in the NFL, he was dreaming of playing on clay at the French Open. There was a time in his life when Rosen would consider tennis as his No. 1 sport. At 12 years old, Rosen was ranked as the top player in Southern California in his age group. He was also ranked in the top-50 in the country.
It was a shoulder injury that halted his tennis career. Rosen had a decision to make whether he would get surgery or begin rehab. He chose to rehab his injury and it was an eight month process. Once Rosen was back to full health, he had doubts about moving forward with tennis. It seems like he made a smart choice with sticking to football.
Athletic Genes
Like many professional athletes, Rosen comes from a family with a history of athletic success. His father, Charles, was a nationally ranked ice skater who almost qualified for the Olympics. His mother, Liz, was the captain of the Princeton lacrosse team.
On top of athletic genes, Rosen also gets his brains from his parents. Both parents attended Ivy League schools. Rosen's father is an orthopedic surgeon. He was considered by President Obama to serve as surgeon general. It is safe to say that success is nothing new for the Rosen family.
Ready to Prove Everyone Wrong
Rosen was unhappy when he was drafted 10th overall by the Cardinals. He believed that he should have went higher after being rated as the most NFL ready quarterback prospect in the draft. After watching three quarterbacks go before him, Rosen voiced his displeasure.
“There were nine mistakes made ahead of me, and I'm going to make sure they all know it was a mistake,” Rosen told reporters at the LA Times following the draft.
When the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray with the first pick in April, Rosen decided to cut ties with Arizona. He unfollowed them on all social media platforms as he waited to get traded. He expressed his feelings of being unhappy, but understood that football is a business.
Now in Miami, Rosen has a chance to prove all of his doubters wrong. He has more critics heading into his second season than he did before his rookie campaign. Rosen has an opportunity that not many players get this early. He can start fresh with a new organization and turn into the player that he wants to be.
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