No other quarterback in the NFL has gone through the things Josh Rosen has in his brief career.
He’s gone from a starting quarterback who was a first-round pick to the current backup for the Cleveland Browns.
However, the story of him being a bust might be shocking, as some NFL pundants were high on him since the draft.
But since that time, he’s been bouncing from team to team, in search of a team who will keep him.
While the search is over for now, that doesn’t mean it won’t resume next year.
So what makes this story of Rosen being a bust so shocking?
Rosen Lasting Only One Year In Arizona Set A Record
There hasn’t been a time in recent history where a first round QB played for his team only to get sent somewhere else the following year.
While teams have traded their first-round quarterbacks during and right after the NFL Draft, those quarterbacks never played a snap for the teams that took them.
The John Elway deal in the 80s and Eli Manning/Phillip Rivers deal were the only ones where that happened.
So his situation in Arizona was unique for sure.
I'm no GM, but just seems so odd for the Cardinals to draft Murray after having Rosen this past season. #NFLDraft
— Stephen A (@StephenA1181) April 26, 2019
While he wasn’t horrible in all the games that he was in during his rookie season, he didn’t impress either.
His 3-10 record with the Cardinals was bad.
However, his touchdown to interception ratio for a rookie wasn’t too bad, as he had 11 TDs against 14 interceptions.
But it would be his lackluster 162.7 passing yards per game and 55.2 completion percentage that did him in.
While those numbers are bad, they are much better than quarterback bust Ryan Leaf.
Leaf’s first season saw him with a 45.3 completion percentage, two touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in nine starts.
However, he spent two more years with his team, unlike Rosen with his team.
So Many Had High Hope When Cardinals Took Rosen In The 2018 NFL Draft
When you look back at NFL pundants and what they thought about Rosen, they were high on him in 2018.
Cowherd LIED to you, again. It's such a ballsy, shameless lie, I'm actually worried about his health.
The first part of the clip is from last week, when he claims to have said that Josh Rosen was "over-drafted" in 2018.
The rest of the clip is his opinion of Rosen at the time. pic.twitter.com/VTEsfQ6GYL
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) June 28, 2022
With Colin Cowherd comparing Rosen to Aaron Rodgers back in 2018, you see people putting a lot of value into him.
However, Rosen has shown no one that he’s like Rodgers as a QB.
So the comparison falls flat with people now they have seen him in NFL games.
But there could be an issue with why Rosen was failing with teams.
Could Offensive Line Play Be The Reason For Rosen Being A Bust?
As Cowherd said, Rosen is a pocket quarterback.
Teams like the Cardinals and Dolphins, who he got playing time with in his first two seasons, never had an offensive line that could protect him.
He went to San Francisco and Tampa Bay during his career as well, but never got playing time with either team.
His last playing time came with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, another team without an offensive line.
This might mean he can’t perform as a pocket passer unless he has an elite offensive line to protect him.
If this is the case, maybe he’s not as much of a bust as he looks to be right now.
NEXT: 3 QB's The Browns Could Have Targeted Instead Of Josh Rosen