Boomer Esiason: 'If You're The Dolphins, Why Are You Playing Ryan Fitzpatrick? Should Be Playing Josh Rosen'
New York, NY (CBS 4)- The Miami Dolphins are not expected to be much of a factor in the upcoming NFL season. With just two weeks left before the regular season opens, the team owns the longest odds to win the Super Bowl, set to be hosted in Miami, at 500-1.
Still, despite that overall sense of dread, there are reasons for fans to be excited about the dawn of a new season. For starters, the team brought in a new head coach in Brian Flores. Secondly, they made one of the bigger trades of the offseason acquiring last year's 10th overall pick, Josh Rosen, from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a 2nd and 5th round pick.
Despite a rough rookie season, the thought was that the Dolphins took a shot on Rosen to see if he could deliver on some of the potential that made him a top 10 pick in last year's draft. Instead, Rosen has been battling with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick for the starting job, something that The NFL Today analyst Boomer Esiason said shouldn't be the case this season when CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith caught up with him at NFL on CBS Media Day in New York.
"I really don't know what to expect from Josh. I know he is in the battle with Fitzpatrick but, if you're the Dolphins, why are you playing Ryan Fitzpatrick? You should be playing Josh Rosen," said Esiason. "You want to see what the kid can do. He was a first round draft choice for a reason. He has great arm talent. I don't know where his head is at. He tends to be a little bit more aggressive than most which I kind of like. I think he feels like he can make any throw on the field. He has a lot to prove. I would like to see him play a lot this year."
Judging by coach Flores' recent comments heading into the third preseason game for the team, it looked like Rosen would begin the season sitting on the bench. But, after Rosen's showing (5-7 59 yards, 4 rushes 23 yards) in Thursday night's 22-7 win over Jacksonville, Flores admitted that the young QB "made the decision harder".
Just one preseason game remains for the Dolphins, but it's unlikely Rosen will see a ton of time as most teams play their backups and players on the fringes of the roster in the final game. So, with just over two weeks before the team opens the season against the Baltimore Ravens, the debate rages on. Start Fitzpatrick, the 36-year-old journeyman who is a known commodity? Or, start the recent Top 10 pick who struggled in his rookie season?
