It finally happened. The Arizona Cardinals traded second-year quarterback Josh Rosen to the Miami Dolphins, placing the young passer in the hands of assistant head coach Jim Caldwell, who has worked wonders with signal-callers in his career.
Rosen played poorly in his rookie season after the Cardinals nabbed him with the tenth overall pick in 2018. The UCLA-product threw for 2,278 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in 14 total games. His situation in the desert was less-than-ideal where he saw his offensive coordinator get fired mid-season and five revolving doors in place of offensive linemen.
Now in Miami, Rosen has a chance to hit the reset button. He’ll fight for the starting job with journeyman gunslinger Ryan Fitzpatrick and will get to develop under Caldwell and the new Dolphins coaching staff.
Josh Rosen in Good Hands With Jim Caldwell, Miami Dolphins
Writing on the Wall in Arizona
The Cardinals were linked to Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray since they hired coach Kliff Kingsbury at the end of last season. Kingsbury convinced the Cardinals to select Murray with the first pick of the 2019 draft, making Rosen expendable. Rosen had struggled all year and was uncharacteristically slow processing post-snap reads. The new coaching staff wanted their own centerpiece, and it wasn’t Rosen.
The Cardinals made it a poorly-kept secret that they’d select Murray first but neglected to tell Rosen their actual plans. He reportedly found out that he was no longer the future of the Cardinals after the selection was made. Arizona general manager Steve Keim also did not begin entertaining calls on Rosen until minutes before the draft began, eliminating any leverage they had. This allowed Miami to get Rosen for pennies in terms of both draft capital and against the cap.
Cardinals paid Josh Rosen $11M for one season. Dolphins will pay Josh Rosen $6M over the next three seasons (and have a team option for a fourth). Incredible value for Miami.
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) April 27, 2019
The Dolphins ended up sending their second-round pick in 2019 and a 2020 fifth-rounder for Rosen.
Caldwell the Top Assistant Hired
The Dolphins hired former New England Patriots defensive assistant Brian Flores as their new head coach at the start of the off-season. Flores brought with him a slew of former Patriots assistants with him, including Chad O’Shea, who will serve as offensive coordinator. Not too shabby considering they cut their teeth working with Tom Brady.
Yet the most important coach to Rosen’s development is Caldwell. Caldwell’s role is quarterbacks and assistant head coach. He had been Peyton Manning‘s positional coach from 2002-08 for the Indianapolis Colts, winning a Super Bowl in that role in 2006. He was promoted to head coach in 2009, leading the Colts to a 14-2 record and a Super Bowl appearance. Caldwell then got the most out of Joe Flacco as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Baltimore Ravens from 2012-13, helping Flacco to a Super Bowl XLVII MVP-performance. This led him to his last gig as the head man for the Detroit Lions, where he was fired after going 36-28 in four seasons.
His work with Manning, Flacco, and Matthew Stafford speaks for itself. Caldwell will hopefully be able to add Rosen as a success story to his long resume.
Rosen’s Future Hinges on Caldwell
The 22-year-old’s development hinges on how well he can perform under the tutelage of Caldwell. Can Caldwell turn Rosen around after a terrible first season? His past success with pocket passers swings the answer in his favor, as Rosen possesses the tools to be at least a good NFL starter.
Rosen doesn’t have a cannon but has a nice arm, possessing great ball placement skills. He’s an intelligent quarterback and has good mechanics and great footwork. He’s a rhythm thrower and moves relatively well within the pocket. He tends to struggle with throws outside of the hashes, as well as processing information too slowly. His struggles were not helped by playing behind the worst offensive line in the league in Arizona.
If Caldwell can help slow the game down for Rosen, there’s no telling what Rosen’s ceiling could be. Rosen also works well with people he respects, similar to Aaron Rodgers. While this is pure speculation, it probably doesn’t hurt that Caldwell coached Rosen’s favorite quarterback in Manning.
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