After being traded from Arizona to Miami it was expected that Josh Rosen would get a fresh start in his quest to be a starting QB but that is not the case to start the season.
Josh Rosen Is Running Out of Chances
Everyone assumed that the starting QB in Miami belonged to Josh Rosen. If you’re the Miami Dolphins, it makes no sense to start Ryan Fitzpatrick after trading for Josh Rosen unless Fitzpatrick clearly wins the job. While Ryan Fitzpatrick does have the ability to produce spectacular moments that earned him one of the best nicknames in the NFL (FitzMagic) he’s 36 years old. The Miami Dolphins are building towards the future and Ryan Fitzpatrick will be out of the NFL sooner rather than later.
With that in mind, the only way that Josh Rosen could lose the starting job is if Fitzpatrick somehow looked much better than him in preseason. While the numbers they put up in weren’t drastically different, it seems that Ryan Fitzpatrick is more ready to lead this team. It’s not surprising that Fitzpatrick would have a better grasp of the offense, he is a veteran while Josh Rosen is still learning to be an NFL quarterback.
Josh Rosen Has Not had Continuity
As a young quarterback, Josh Rosen has not had the benefit of continuity. After one year in the NFL, Rosen will be playing for his third offensive coordinator. That makes the job of learning to play the QB position much harder than it already is. On top of that, he is now playing for a defensive minded coach.
Not only is Brian Flores a defensive coach, he is a first time head coach. From that perspective, his decision to go with the veteran Fitzpatrick makes sense. He has seen enough evidence from around the NFL that you can be fired for not producing wins in after just one year. With that in mind, he is starting the guy he thinks gives his team the best chance to win now.
There is Still a Chance That This Could be Rosen’s Team
There are a few reasons for Josh Rosen to feel optimistic about his chances of eventually winning the starting job with this team. First of all, Fitzpatrick is 36 years’ old which means he is not the long term answer. There’s also the matter of Fitzpatrick’s inconsistency. While his nickname, Fitzmagic, leads you to believe that he can do amazing things, reality says that he can’t sustain it for a full season. There’s a reason he’s on his 8th team since being drafted in the 7th round back in 2005.
For all of those reasons, Josh Rosen has every right to feel confident that this will be his team eventually which he reiterated when asked how he felt about the decision to start Fitzpatrick:
“It’s only (matter of time) that this team is mine, but until then I’m going to be as supportive a backup as I can, and like I said, push him every single day.” –Josh Rosen, Miami Dolphins QB
This Could be Rosen’s Last Chance
That’s the perfect attitude and really it’s an indication that Rosen gets it. He will get his chance with this team and it’s up to him to make the most of it. While Fitzpatrick starts to begin the season, Josh Rosen can continue to learn this offense which he is still not totally comfortable with.
One thing that can’t be underestimated is what Miami Dolphins plan is moving forward. If Josh Rosen comes in and doesn’t show that he is ready to lead this franchise into the future, don’t be at all surprised to see the Dolphins draft a QB next year.
