The Washington Redskins have apparently expressed interest in Arizona quarterback Josh Rosen. This could actually be a perfect match for team and player.
The Washington Redskins have had a questionable quarterback situation for too long. They’ve had a revolving door at the position for the entire 2000s and that trend will continue this offseason. However, the end could be near in Josh Rosen. Recent reports indicate that the Redskins and Arizona Cardinals could be trade partners with Rosen.
Season one didn’t go as planned for Rosen and the Cardinals. The rookie appeared in 14 games, starting 13 of them. In that time, the Cardinals went 3-11. Rosen’s numbers were far from great. The rookie threw more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (11) while completing 55.2 percent of his passes.
However, he was behind an absolutely miserable offensive line. In the 14 games he appeared in, Rosen was sacked 45 times. 21 teams (including the Redskins) allowed less sacks than that in the entire season.
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Sure, you could argue that some blame needs to be put on Rosen. He did make some classic rookie mistakes in year one. That’s no reason to believe he’s a bust though. Do people already forget how Jared Goff looked in his first season?
Now, it’s not common for a team to give up on a first-round quarterback after one season. Reports are that the Cardinals are extremely high on Kyler Murray, however. They’ve also got a new coach in Kliff Kingsbury and might want to just start completely fresh. So why would Rosen be a perfect fit for the Redskins?
First of all, he’s only 22. If they can be patient, he has the arm talent to develop into a fantastic quarterback. He’ll also have a great teacher in Alex Smith, who will miss at least all of 2019 with an injury. The Redskins offensive line will also protect Rosen a lot better than the Cardinals did, and he can grow with the young talent Washington has. Give him a few seasons with Derrius Guice, Trey Quinn and Josh Doctson and that could turn into something nice.
Something Rosen has been lauded for in the past is his arm strength. That’s something the Cardinals didn’t seem all that willing to utilize. Of course, the Redskins also weren’t a downfield team in 2018, but didn’t have the personnel at quarterback for much of it. Smith and Colt McCoy are more short-area, accurate passers, and Josh Johnson hadn’t thrown an NFL pass in years. So it’s no surprise the playbook was kept simpler for him.
The Redskins could give Rosen a chance to actually collect himself in the pocket and show off the arm talent that made him such an intriguing prospect just one year ago. Washington needs to end their quarterback carousel sooner rather than later. They could always go after someone in the upcoming draft, but it’s uncertain who would be available to them at No. 15.
Even better, there’s a chance Josh Rosen is made available to them for something less than a first round pick. Imagine Washington getting Rosen and being able to get him a weapon with the 15th pick — that’s hard not to get at least a little excited about.