The worst-kept secret in the days and weeks leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft was that the Cardinals weren’t completely and totally in love with Kyler Murray. So much so that they took him with the first-overall pick one year after trading up to No. 10 to draft Josh Rosen. A day after selecting Murray, Rosen was shipped to Miami, where’ll he’ll compete against veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job, for a 2019 second-round pick and 2020 fifth-rounder.
“As far as the quarterback position, like every other position, there’ll be competition there,” first-year coach Brian Flores told reporters last week, via NFL.com. “In that position, we’re looking for leadership, we’re looking for, obviously, accuracy, we’re looking for someone, who, for the most part, can lead the team. And put together successful drives and put us in good position in the run game and the pass game, from a protection standpoint. So there’s a lot that goes into it, it’s a leadership position and there’s going to be some competition at that position for sure.”
This is what Flores has to say, of course, but ideally, Rosen, the 22-year-old who never really had a chance in Arizona, would be the clear-cut choice. And he has support from two of the best players in Dolphins history.
“I thought [acquiring Rosen] was a great move,” Hall of Famer Jason Taylor said, via the Palm Beach Post. “You get a one-year look-see, see what’s under the hood. And if you don’t like it, you can change it. If you do like it, then you can change the tires, put some custom wheels on it, keep riding that thing out.”
And another Hall of Famer, Dan Marino added that it’s clear that the Dolphins, who are 200-to-1 to win the Super Bowl, aren’t #TankingforTua.
“I look at it as, ‘Hey, we’re trying to be successful right now,'” he said. “Win games and compete each and every day and each and every week. … I spent time there, so obviously I’m proud of the Dolphins. I want to see us do well. I think we’re in a position where we can get to that point. We’re building to have a successful team.”
Miami still faces long odds (see above), but in Rosen they added the best quarterback in the 2019 draft class and in Christian Wilkins, the 13th overall pick, Miami gets one of the best defensive players in this class. A lot of roster issues remain but it’s clear the Dolphins aren’t giving up on the 2019 season just yet. The biggest question facing this team? If the season goes south and they find themselves with a high draft pick, will they stick with Rosen or try to draft their next franchise quarterback, whether that’s Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert or a player not yet on anyone’s radar?
