By Jordan Long
Yesterday, the NFL needed all 32 teams to trim their rosters to 85 players prior to the 4 PM Eastern Time deadline. The San Francisco 49ers decided to let go of former 1st round pick Josh Rosen. Rosen is looking for a new home, but he is starting to become an all-time NFL draft bust.
Rosen was originally drafted by the Arizona Cardinals with the 10th pick overall in the 2018 NFL Draft out of UCLA. He became the Cardinals starter in his rookie year. With Arizona, he went 3-10. He passed for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns. Rosen had trouble reading the defenses which is expected for a rookie quarterback. It takes a rookie 2 or 3 years to understand how NFL defenses play. He tossed 14 interceptions.
After his rookie year, Arizona traded Rosen to Miami on April 26th, 2019 for a 2nd-round pick. This was after the Cardinals selected their franchise quarterback of Kyler Murray with the 1st overall pick in the 2019 draft. Miami thought Rosen could be their franchise quarterback for years to come.
Rosen didn’t last with the Dolphins. He spent 2019 with Miami. His record as their starter was 0-3. Rosen passed for 567 yards, 1 touchdown, and 5 interceptions. In the 2020 NFL draft, the Dolphins picked Tua Tagovailoa with the 5th overall selection. Even with the drafting of Tagovailoa, Rosen had a chance to beat out Tagovailoa and veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick to earn a roster spot. He failed to do so and Miami cut him.
Rosen was picked up by Tampa Bay on September 9th, 2020 and placed on the practice squad. He wasn’t there long. San Francisco signed Rosen on December 23rd, 2020 to the active roster. The 49ers needed a healthy quarterback since the only one that wasn’t hurt was C.J. Beathard. He was just holding a roster spot in case Beathard was hurt, but never appeared in a game.
This year, Rosen had a chance to earn a roster spot with the 49ers. San Francisco knew they had quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and 1st-round pick Trey Lance. Rosen was trying to be the 3rd quarterback on the team. Rosen saw action last week against Kansas City playing all of the 3rd quarter. He finished 10 of 15 passing for 93 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown but was picked off once. The 49ers decided he didn’t do enough for them to keep him for one more week.
According to ESPN, Rosen said, “It’s been a pleasure. I really look forward to coming to work every day and Kyle is a brilliant offensive coordinator/head coach. … Just coming to work every day, it’s really fun playing football. I like playing for these guys, I like playing with this team. So, in general, it’s very positive, I’ve had a lot of fun.”
Rosen is now looking for another team. It could be a while before a team picks him up. He could be placed on a practice squad or be a 3rd quarterback on the roster. Rosen hasn’t had a chance to grow in the NFL. He has bounced around the league. This is a troubling sign but hopefully, a team takes one more chance. If not, he is better off retiring.
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