Josh Rosen's stint with the Arizona Cardinals did not last very long. One year after being selected by the Cardinals with the 10th overall pick, Rosen found himself being shipped out of town to clear room for Kyler Murray, as Arizona traded him to the Miami Dolphins for a second-rounder.
Now, Rosen is in a new environment with a whole new system, and it's almost like he is a rookie all over again.
The 22-year-old did not exactly have a great rookie campaign, as he threw for just 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions while completing 55.2 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 66.7, so there is a lot to work on.
To be fair, it's not like Rosen was playing in a great offense. As a matter of fact, the Cardinals had, by far, the worst offense in the league, so Rosen's struggles are not entirely his fault.
But, that being said, it's clear that Rosen has a lot to learn, so how can he take the next step in 2019?
Well, what we know about Rosen is that he has a very strong arm, but struggles with his accuracy. He wasn't even all that accurate in college, completing just 60.9 percent of his passes over three seasons at UCLA.
Based on that, there is some concern as to whether or not Rosen will ever become an accurate passer in the NFL, but he is still just 22 years old, so there is time for him to improve.
That means that instead of focusing on making the long throws downfield, Rosen should turn his attention to making quick, high-percentage throws this coming season, which will eventually open the field up for him.
Plus, the fact that the Dolphins don't exactly have a proven receiving corps means that Rosen may have to make a lot of short and intermediate throws in 2019, as it's hard to imagine head coach Brian Flores blindly trusting his receivers to regularly make plays down the field.
Really, what it will come down to for Rosen this year is playing smart and making the right throws. That means not trying to force throws into tight coverage and not merely trying to live off of his arm strength.
That may have gotten him by in college, but this is the NFL, and if you make a mistake, defensive players are going to make you pay for it.
Rosen should simply view this as a gradual process. Yes, there is some pressure on him after having such a lackluster rookie season, but if he can just show some improvement and flip his touchdown-to-interception ratio, that will be progress.
And to do that, Rosen needs to understand the value of every down, so if you can't find a receiver 30 yards down the field on first-and-10, there is nothing wrong with completing a five or six-yard pass and making things easier on second down.
It's all about getting better each and every week, and so long as Rosen realizes that and begins to comprehend that playing quarterback in the NFL is about more than just arm strength, he should improve.
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