When the Miami Dolphins cut Josh Rosen, the former first-round pick hoped he would hit free agency and get the chance to decide his own fate. He got his wish and now could revitalize his career after signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Rosen, the No. 10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, has been put in situations to fail with the Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins. Finally, he might have an opportunity to get things on track with a single move that could change his future.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign Josh Rosen to practice squad
After going unclaimed on waivers, Rosen wanted to find the right fit where he could grow as a player and have the supporting cast he didn’t experience in his first two NFL seasons. He found the perfect landing spot with the Buccaneers.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Rosen is signing with Tampa Bay to join its practice squad for the 2020 NFL season. He requested teams let him go unclaimed on waivers, per Tom Pelissero, and received offers to sign with teams offering a spot on the active roster.
While signing with another NFL team might have provided him with more money or a greater opportunity to play this season, the 23-year-old quarterback wanted something different.
As a rookie in 2018, Rosen’s lone season with the Arizona Cardinals was a disaster. He threw 14 interceptions and completed only 55.2% of his passes, posting an ugly 66.7 quarterback rating and averaging 162.7 yards per game.
However, it was the worst circumstances for a young quarterback to play and develop within. Arizona had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, leading to Rosen being sacked 45 times and pressure constantly. The Cardinals fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy on Oct. 19 and quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich was just in his second season as a coach.
Arizona then selected Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, shipping Rosen and a fifth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for a second-round pick. While it was a fresh start for the young quarterback, he was in a terrible situation. On a team with a porous offensive line and his own lack of development, his struggles continued.
While Rosen will be playing for his third NFL team in three seasons, a dramatic fall for a former top-10 pick, this could be the perfect opportunity for him.
Buccaneers’ coaching staff, Tom Brady could be perfect for Josh Rosen
Looking across the NFL, you couldn’t find a better landing spot for Rosen. He wanted to find a team where he could learn from some of the game’s brightest minds, spend a year learning from them and developing the finer points of his game. Tampa Bay offered him everything he was looking for.
First, there’s a level of familiarity with the Buccaneers’ coaching staff. Rosen spent a year learning from Leftwich, at a time when they were both making their own adjustments and learning on the fly. They will be reunited and the former NFL quarterback should help Rosen immensely this year, especially during practices and meetings.
Of course, the opportunity to learn from Tom Brady is worth more than any contract another NFL team could offer Rosen. Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history in large part because of his preparation, work ethic and his incredible ability to diagnose defenses. Rosen will get to watch him closely, picking his brain during meetings about analyzing film, reacting to defenses during games and the finer points of playing quarterback.
Most importantly, Rosen will now get to work with Bruce Arians. The man who literally wrote a book called “The Quarterback Whisperer” will work closely with Rosen, helping him learn and grow. There’s arguably no better active NFL coach for the 23-year-old quarterback to learn from than Arians.
For now, this will only be a one-year partnership between Rosen and the Buccaneers. However, Brady isn’t Tampa Bay’s long-term quarterback and the organization could need a backup behind him in 2021. The Buccaneers didn’t have a developmental quarterback entering the season and now they do. In the end, this is the dream pairing for both sides.