Daily Dr. Roto — April 22, 2019
The Josh Rosen Sweepstakes
It’s NFL Draft week, and I hope you are excited as I am to see NFL teams pick, trade, and set themselves up for next season and beyond. The Arizona Cardinals are on the clock with the first overall pick, and as of right now signs point heavily to them taking Oklahoma Sooners QB Kyler Murray with the first pick. The only major problem with that is that their 2018 first round pick was UCLA’s QB Josh Rosen. If the Cardinals don’t trade Rosen before this year’s draft, they will lose significant leverage with other teams. So, there seems to be little doubt that Rosen will be on the move anytime between now and Thursday’s draft. Where might Rosen end up? Let’s see the potential candidates:
Miami Dolphins: This seems to make some sense as Ryan Fitzpatrick is only a fill-in player, but I do wonder if new head coach Brian Flores is going to want to hitch his wagon to a mercurial QB in Rosen whose passion for the game has been questioned.
New York Giants: The Giants are saying all the right (wrong?) things about Eli Manning going into next season, but everyone knows they need to plan for the future. The Giants hold the 6th and 17th picks in the first round, so they could take a QB at either spot and not give the Cardinals anything for Rosen. As much as New Yorkers see this as a potential fit, I think there is little chance it happens.
Washington Redskins: The Cardinals have been insistent that they want a first-round pick for Rosen and the Redskins might comply. They signed Case Keenum in the offseason, but Alex Smith‘s horrific injury might keep him away from football forever, and Keenum is a stopgap player at best. If the Giants take a QB at 6 and the Broncos take one at 10, and the Dolphins take one at 13, the Redskins might have to move their first-round pick (15th overall) for Rosen if they want to get him. I don’t see the Redskins making any deal with the Cardinals until draft night as they are hoping that either Haskins, Jones, or Lock falls to them at 15 without them having to move the pick.
New England Patriots: This is where I think Rosen fits best. Rosen can sit and learn behind Tom Brady, but he also can be a quality backup in case of an injury. When Brady inevitable retires in 2-3 years, Rosen should slot right in and give the Patriots a QB capable of leading them deep into the playoffs. The Patriots tried this plan before with Jimmy Garoppolo, and it worked until Jimmy G wanted more playing time. If Rosen can be patient, the payoff could be huge. The Patriots are shrewd dealers and won’t give the Cardinals a first-round pick, but I can see them moving a second-round pick in 2019 and maybe a fourth in 2020 which could entice the Cardinals to make the deal.
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