Opinion: Miami Dolphins shouldn't give away Josh Rosen in trade
DAVIE, Fla. — When the Dolphins were interested in trading for Josh Rosen, I wrote that it made sense as long as they didn't trade too much away.
Giving up second- and fifth-round picks to the Cardinals made sense then. And even though it didn't work out, it makes sense now.
Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting Rosen could be traded away this weekend. And I will say that too makes sense, as long as they don't give him away.
Rosen's shine is gone. He's already been traded once and has already been leap-frogged twice, with two different organizations drafting his replacement before his career even got off the ground.
Rosen, only 23, will probably never be the franchise quarterback it appeared he would be when he flashed incredible promise at UCLA.
Rosen still has incredible arm talent. And coach Brian Flores has gone out of his way recently to praise Rosen's improvement, his strong arm and some of his eye-opening throws.
That's what I would say about a player if I was hoping to recoup some value, too.
It may not be realistic for the Dolphins to obtain a third-round draft choice, but I would be tempted to hold onto Rosen unless a tantalizing offer was made.
In a season in which COVID-19 could impact the depth of any team, at any one position, for two weeks or more, having depth at quarterback gives Miami a distinct advantage.
Rosen could be one of the best, and certainly one of the most talented, backup quarterbacks in the NFL.
Maybe Miami could wait until a playoff contender loses its starting quarterback in the first two or three weeks of the regular season.
The Dolphins may feel that Tua Tagovailoa is fully cleared medically and can serve as backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick in 10 days, at New England.
But it would seem that allowing Rosen to serve in such a role, while giving Tagovailoa a bit more time to watch, would in no way be harmful to his development. And yes, of course, that would be a highly precautionary action.
Make no mistake: Fitzpatrick is on track to start the opener. And Tagovailoa looked healthy and mobile throughout training camp. He is Miami's quarterback of the future and he will stir excitement.
Rosen is likely not too excited to about the prospect of not having a real future in Miami. But to be fair, he's said all the right things publicly about continuing to work with Fitzpatrick and new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.
Rosen has said he's holding out hope he can start in Miami one day. If the Dolphins have no intention of ever allowing Rosen to take another meaningful snap, then the argument could be made they're better off deleting him from the roster.
It's still unclear if Rosen and/or his camp has ever asked for a trade or suggested it might be nice. But again, player control is key. The Dolphins, at this time, control his rights and at a very reasonable rookie contract salary.
And Miami is under no obligation to trade Rosen unless the team feels it is receiving value that is clearly in the best mid- and long-term interests of the franchise.
Rosen is very likely not what two franchises hoped he would be. But he is still too talented to just give away.