Josh Rosen reacts to being named starter for remainder of season, 12-game tryout for 2020

The Miami Dolphins continue to shuffle their lineup, especially when it comes to the starting offensive line. One position that seems to be stabilized, however, is the quarterback position. After offseason and training camp battles, Ryan Fitzpatrick was originally named the starter, but heading into Week 3 of the regular season, Miami moved to Josh Rosen. Now, head coach Brian Flores has said the job is Rosen’s the rest of the season.

“It’s settled,” Flores said of the starting position. “I like where Josh is. I think he’s improving on a week-to-week basis. I think he’s a young, talented player, and I think he needs to get in there and develop and get reps and just improve. I think if we could – when he’s scrambling and if he can throw the ball away, that would be an improvement. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot and hopefully if I say it to you guys, maybe he’ll listen, but that’s something – amongst a lot of other things. Just decision-making, accuracy and making good decisions. I like where Josh is and hopefully he just continues to improve today, tomorrow and over the course of the season.”

“I think it’s awesome, but you can never treat it like that,” Rosen replied when asked about being named the team’s starter for the remainder of the year. “I have heard guys like Tom (Brady) mention like he feels like he is competing against someone every day and that is the sort of attitude that you have to have in order to continue to improve. So, it might be a settled competition but in my head I am always trying to act as if someone is behind me every single day.”

When pressed about if being told he is locked in as the starter the remainder of the season give some relief that he is not having to look over his shoulder every week, Rosen admitted it does. “Yeah, maybe a little bit; but I have never really played like that,” he explained. “I am a pretty sort of – not like a free spirit – but I just kind of go out there, have fun and do my thing. Football is football. I try to stay as removed from the politics as much as I possibly can.”

Miami could be headed toward the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, which would likely lead to a quarterback selection, and the second straight year Rosen, a 2018 tenth-overall pick, would see the number one pick used to replace him. Asked if he thinks about that possibility, or the possibility that he could be the quarterback of the future for the Dolphins, Rosen answered, “I mean, I don’t think about it too much; but I am aware of it. The way I am sort of approaching this year is I feel like I am really just trying out for the team. I feel like I am auditioning and I am trying to put my best foot forward and prove to everyone upstairs and ‘Coach Flo’ (Head Coach Brian Flores) and (General Manager) Mr. (Chris) Grier that I am the man moving forward. It is not like what you would – I don’t know, it’s a different circumstance than a lot of other quarterbacks have been put in; but it is the one that I have been given and I am taking it in full stride and I am excited to hopefully prove over these next 12 more weeks that I am their guy moving forward.”

Wide receiver Albert Wilson agreed with the 12-week tryout idea, explaining that every position and every player should feel like that. “For sure,” he said. “They bring in guys every day. Every day is a tryout, every day is an interview. You have to come in and put your best foot forward. That’s pretty much how it is. They pretty much watch everything guys do so you want to do your best every chance you get. It pretty much is an on-going interview.”

The Dolphins will now go through 12 weeks with a quarterback locked into position, but also looking to prove himself. Could he do enough to earn the job heading into 2020? Will he play with a chip on his shoulder, looking to prove he should not be replaced by a rookie again?