To put it lightly, it's an overwhelming offseason for Josh Rosen. The UCLA product went from a top 10 overall selection in the 2018 Draft to being traded to a new team after his former team picked a new quarterback with the first pick. All of it is coming after one of the most grueling rookie quarterback campaigns in recent history.
Last season, Rosen completed 217 of his 393 attempts for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns to 14 interceptions. He was the lowest in both passer rating (66.7) and QBR (26.6) amongst all other quarterbacks. And he was sacked a total of 45 times (seventh-most) behind the Arizona Cardinals offensive line in just 13 starts.
It was not the showing one would see out of a 10th overall pick. And because of this, many have already awarded Rosen the label of a bust.
However, when looking back at the Cardinals team he was chosen by, Rosen wasn't going to succeed with that team. He lucked out with his trade request and is now with the Dolphins organization, and should be looking to get rid of the rough rookie season he went through. And there are plenty of reasons why Rosen should find more success in South Beach.
A Better Offensive Line
No quarterback would've found success behind the offensive line in Arizona. Not only were they ranked as the worst in pass-blocking efficiency by Pro F0otball Focus, but also as the worst in the league.
As Michael Renner from PFF writes:
The Cardinals’ offensive line was in shambles when fully healthy, so it didn’t help that only rookie center Mason Cole was able to stay healthy for more than 600 snaps this season. 11 different offensive linemen played at least 100 snaps for the Cardinals this season, and not a single one played well. Quarterback Josh Rosen didn’t have a chance.
It's what led to Rosen having the fifth-highest sack percentage in the league at 10.3 percent. But now the former Bruin finds himself with better protection.
The Dolphins made it a point of emphasis with three selections at offensive line, and with the return of a healthy Josh Sitton, the unit will be much more formidable to protect their new quarterback.
A Better Run Game to Help Him
Having Cardinals running back David Johnson was once a luxury. The 2016 All-Pro had one of the best all-purpose campaigns three years ago as he put together 2,118 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns. However, Johnson hasn't been the same after breaking his forearm in 2017. He failed to gain 1,000 rushing yards and wasn't nearly the same player. And the depth behind the Northern Iowa product wasn't the most promising during 2018 either.
The Cardinals rushing attack was dead last as they averaged 83.9 yards per game on the ground. The only team that didn't average at least 90 yards per game. A nonexistent run game will not help a young quarterback that's developing in a new system. Thankfully for Josh Rosen, the Dolphins have much better help for him against the eight-man in the box looks.
Although they won't be having last season's team leader in rushing yards in the timeless Frank Gore, the team still has a lot of promise in their running backs. Kenyan Drake put together 1,012 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns.
The Dolphins are also likely to use a two-headed run game with the impressive Kalen Ballage in the mix. Ballage proved to be a great addition in the final three games of the season as he put up 180 rushing yards on 28 carries (averaging 6.4 yards per rush) and the only touchdown of his career.
To add to the reliable pair is a likely seventh-round steal in Myles Gaskin out of Washington. He can serve as a receiving back in third-down situations and can provide a change of pace to the game.
With this group put together, Rosen should be able to get into a better rhythm and not have to be utterly reliant on his arm against pro defenses.
Better Coaches
Josh Rosen's situation with his coaching staff was an unfortunate one. The Cardinals put him into a system in which his first offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy was around until being fired after week seven after a 1-6 start to the year. McCoy was someone that's never had to develop a quarterback from his time as an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach. Every one of his quarterbacks has been 30-plus-year-old veterans.
McCoy would then be replaced by former NFL quarterback, Byron Leftwich who had been serving as quarterbacks coach for the Cardinals since 2017. His expertise didn't change much, as the team went 2-6 the rest of the way and the Cardinals let him go at the end of the season.
During McCoy's time, the offense put together 156.1 passing yards per game. Leftwich put together an average of 158.9 passing yards per game. And one of the most critical issues with the Cardinals offense was the play call design as shown in the below clip (start at 18:22).
The Dolphins have a better set of coaches that will help the offense succeed. With new head coach Brian Flores coming in from the New England Patriots, he will have a few ideas on how to run this team to a winning culture. And one of them is with the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, Chad O'Shea.
O'Shea will be an instrumental part in allowing receivers to make the most out of their talents, which is something that he allowed for the Patriots receivers from his time in 2009-2018 with players like Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, Brandin Cooks, and Cordarelle Patterson to name a few. And with the fact that three different Dolphins players threw touchdown passes and having an implementation of the wildcat system with Miami, the team will significantly take a liking to him.
As for the quarterback coaching, Rosen has one of the best at that area with Jim Caldwell. Caldwell developed the likes of Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco, and Mattew Stafford to newer and greater heights. And with Josh Rosen's already polished talent, he should be able to get rid of the bust label with this new system around him.
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