Given that quarterback Josh Rosen struggled through his rookie year, it’s natural to wonder if the Arizona Cardinals will use the No. 1 overall pick on a quarterback — like Kyler Murray. But according to coach Kliff Kingsbury, that’s not the case.
Speaking of the matter on Tuesday, Kingsbury (per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN) threw his support behind Rosen.
“Josh is our guy.” – Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury on Josh Rosen’s future with the team.
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) February 12, 2019
It’s worth noting, of course, that the Cardinals could well draft Murray and still keep Rosen on the roster. But using consecutive high draft picks on quarterbacks would be a risky move, especially for a team with a bevy of flaws.
Rosen unquestionably had a rough rookie season. In 14 games, the Arizona quarterback completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards with 11 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a 66.7 passer rating.
But while his rookie season fell short of fellow Class of 2018 quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and even Josh Allen, Rosen is by no means the first quarterback to go through some growing pains in his rookie year. Plenty of them have come out fine.
In the weeks and months leading up to the draft, it’s always hard to tell what’s serious and what’s posturing. But despite his struggles, we can definitely see why Rosen has Kingsbury’s support.