Arizona Cardinals: Playing Josh Rosen would be unnecessary risk

The Arizona Cardinals are right to sit Josh Rosen in the final game of the preseason instead of taking an unnecessary risk.

Josh Rosen is the future quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, unless he gets hurt. Currently, Rosen is nursing an injured thumb that occurred in practice. He missed the game in Dallas and should sit out the preseason finale. Luckily the team agrees as reports indicate that he will.

After selecting Rosen in the first round, Arizona should slowly integrate him into the pro game. Sam Bradford is a solid quarterback but has the propensity to be injured. The Cardinals need Rosen and Bradford for the season instead of the preseason finale.

Although Rosen has appeared in only two preseason games, he has definitely earned his roster spot. In fact, he has pushed Bradford for the starting position. Rosen has a bright NFL future, if he stays healthy.

In two preseason games, Rosen has completed 16 passes out of 29 attempts for a 55.2 completion percentage. He has thrown for 148 yards and has thrown a touchdown pass. His quarterback rating is 80.8.

With a young player such as Rosen, you want to get him reps so he can get up to NFL speed. However, why take an unnecessary risk? It’s one thing to get hurt in the regular season, but why take a chance in a meaningless preseason game? You have to take care of your investment.

Rosen sitting out on Thursday should allow Mike Glennon and Charles Kanoff battle for the third spot on the roster. Expect the Cardinals to carry three quarterbacks on the 53 man roster. The third quarterback will run the scout team and probably be inactive on Sunday’s.

The high flying Cardinals offense will be fine against Denver without Rosen, and perhaps decisions about depth will be more valuable than putting the rookie in harm’s way.