Josh Rosen may not have had his best statistical night but Preseason Week 3 against the Jags was his best outing yet with the Miami Dolphins.
In the Miami Dolphins dress rehearsal game in Week 3 of the 2019 preseason, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick got the start, as expected. Furthermore, the bearded veteran played the majority of the snaps at quarterback and was the most productive quarterback on the field. And yet, Josh Rosen stood out far more than his older teammate.
Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fitzpatrick started out incredibly poorly. He rebounded, though, going 12-of-18 for 126 yards and a touchdown on the night overall, salvaging an abysmal beginning to his outing. But when Rosen came in, the second-year quarterback acquired via trade this offseason had to raise the optimism in Miami.
Looking at Rosen’s overall stat line, it doesn’t hop off the page. The UCLA product went just 5-of-7 for 59 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, though he added 23 yards rushing on the day. As is often the case in the NFL, the preseason especially, the box score doesn’t tell the entire story.
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In his third outing of the preseason, Rosen looked by far the most comfortable he has yet at the helm of the Dolphins offense. He was poised, made NFL-level throws on a few occasions and didn’t get rattled under pressure. The rushing total may be the most telling as Rosen, who’s not known for his mobility, was able to feel the pressure, escape and make broken plays into positive yardage.
Granted, Rosen’s work for the Dolphins in this game did come against the Jaguars backups. Even still, he’s played against backups previously in the preseason and didn’t look as good as he did on Thursday night. The second-year pro showed the signs of being a player that was worthy of the top-10 pick the Cardinals used on him in 2018.
The performance from the young quarterback against Jacksonville probably wasn’t enough for him to surpass Fitzpatrick on the depth chart. Even if the veteran has faltered, Rosen still clearly has a lot left to pick up in his new team’s offense. That should give Fitzpatrick the overall edge in the quarterback battle.
At the same time, though, Josh Rosen showing out as he did on Thursday is a positive sign that the Dolphins made a good investment. If that type of progression can continue, said investment should start paying regular-season dividends soon enough.