What about the "other" Dolphins quarterback?

Tua, Tua, Tua with a little bit of Herbert mixed in and a pinch of Fitzpatrick.

That's what the conversation has been in regards to the Miami Dolphins and the quarterback position heading into the 2020 NFL draft.

Lost in the mix has been Josh Rosen, who the Dolphins deemed promising enough last April to send two draft picks to the Arizona Cardinals. The same Josh Rosen who the Cardinals deemed promising enough at this time two years ago that they spent the 10th overall selection in the 2018 draft on him.

Practically nobody is talking about Rosen these days, and it almost seems an accepted fact that the clock is ticking on his time with the Dolphins.

But is that really the case?

Dolphins coach Brian Flores and GM Chris Grier have been consistent in praising Rosen's development through the course of the 2019 season, even after he was replaced by Fitzpatrick late in the early-October game against the Washington Redskins.

This was Flores at the 2020 combine in Indianapolis in late February: “Josh, I expect him to come in, learn the offense, develop the way he was developing over the course and the latter parts of last season. He’s going to get an opportunity to compete and get better every day.”

And this was Grier doing his annual pre-draft media session last week: "Josh has done a great job, like we’ve talked about since the end of the season, of how he progressed through last season and learning. For him, he went through a very tough thing, being a top 10 pick and traded after a year and learning a new system and a new city. He’s still a young player."

Of course, one could argue that nobody should expect to disparage Rosen publicly and that praising his progress was to be expected.

One could point to the fact the Dolphins stuck with Fitzpatrick for the last 11 games even though they never had a legitimate shot at making a run for the playoffs as speaking louder than any words Flores or Grier could have spoken.

But is it also possible that the Dolphins did see tremendous progress in practice while at the same time seeing no reason to go back to him at quarterback because Fitzpatrick was playing very well?

Rosen has all the physical attributes needed to succeed in the NFL. He's got good size, good mobility and major zip on his passes. He's also a very bright guy.

The problems he had last season began to surface during game action as he too often hesitated in the pocket and ended up getting himself in trouble.

But here's another key point about Rosen: He just turned 23. You know who's two months older than Rosen? Joe Burrow.

If Rosen was a problem child or devoid of physical ability, it would make sense for the Dolphins to get rid of him. But he's neither, plus he's got a team-friendly contract with Arizona having paid his signing bonus in 2018.

So the Dolphins aren't just simply going to get rid of him.

Maybe they listen to trade offers for Rosen. NFL writer Peter King suggested the Jacksonville Jaguars make a call to the Dolphins to have Rosen back up Gardner Minshew, suggesting a fourth-round pick as the price.

Remember, it wasn't just the Dolphins who traded picks to get Rosen. To get Rosen in the 2018 draft, Arizona gave the Raiders picks in the third and fifth rounds to move up from 15 to 10.

But what if the Dolphins think Rosen legitimately can develop into a quality quarterback with added experience and under the tutelage of new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey?

What if they think Rosen will progress enough to become a quality starter?

The overwhelming perception is that the Dolphins will take either Tagovailoa or Herbert, but is it possible they're confident enough in Rosen's future development that he's the one they'll peg as their franchise quarterback?

It's a crazy notion, yes, if you believe all the chatter in the media, but it's one scenario that can't be totally dismissed.

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