Getty Quarterback Josh Rosen #3 of the Arizona Cardinals drops back to pass during the NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams.
After one season with the Arizona Cardinals, quarterback Josh Rosen has been involved in a slew of speculation about his career with the franchise. The No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft struggled in his first season behind a porous offensive line, getting sacked 45 times.
He mustered just 2,278 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions over 14 games. This production has led some to newly-hired head coach Kliff Kingsbury wants to bring in his own choice to start under center.
The former Texas Tech head coach reportedly is interested in drafting Oklahoma quarterback and Heisman winner Kyler Murray with this year’s No. 1 pick, according to CBS Sports. At the same time, Kingsbury has affirmed and reaffirmed his commitment to Rosen publicly.
“He needs to understand we are in this together and I want him to know he kind of has the keys to the castle and let’s build this deal as a group,” Kingsbury said, according to the Cardinals’ team website. “Make sure he is comfortable with what we are doing, if he doesn’t like something that is going on with this offense or the way I’m coaching it, let’s talk about it and come up with the best answer. When (the QBs) have that type of ownership, it goes a long way.”
Kingsbury recently spent only a few weeks as the USC offensive coordinator before taking the job in Arizona. This could just be him jumping at a better opportunity, but taking his public statements with a grain of salt is a safe call.
On Friday morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter stated that the Cardinals have not engaged in active trade discussions to date. He’s also continued to report that Rosen is expected to show at offseason training camp that starts next Monday.
Plus, the Cardinals still have not engaged in active trade discussions to date on Josh Rosen. Other teams have asked about him, but to date, the Cardinals have not shown a willingness to trade him. To date….
That hasn’t stopped rumors from spreading that a trade with the Washington Redskins is “looking likely,” per Benjamin Allbright.
Allbright went on to note that Arizona would likely receive a second-round pick in 2019 and a future mid-round selection from Washington for Rosen.
Washington needs to flesh out its quarterback room after losing Alex Smith to a potentially career-ending injury last November. As of right now, veterans Colt McCoy and Case Keenum are the only options for the starting job.
JP Finlay of NBC Sports states that “all signs point to” Murray jumping onboard the Kingsbury hype train in Arizona.
Rosen would be perfect because the Cardinals are already paid his signing bonus and he’s owed less than $2 million for the 2019 season.
The Murray-to-Arizona speculation started growing at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, and the Rosen-to-Washington rumors started almost immediately thereafter. They haven’t slowed.
The latest came from ESPN’s Todd McShay, who said of Rosen on his podcast, “I keep hearing Washington. They are the most likely of teams. They seem to be the most interested in Josh Rosen.”
The Redskins are only slightly better at protecting the passer than Arizona, ranking in the lower-half of the league in sacks allowed with 44 total. In addition, Rosen would be throwing to a bunch of solid, but unspectacular options in Jordan Reed, Josh Doctson and Vernon Davis. None totaled more than 600 yards receiving last year.
As we near the draft by the end of this month, the talks about Arizona jettisoning the former UCLA Bruin will only increase.