The Arizona Cardinals are about to do something very, very dumb. There are strong rumors they will draft Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the first pick in the NFL draft. Now you could argue the merits of whether or not Murray is deserving to be the number one overall pick, but that’s not the dumb part. Where this gets foolish is the fact that the Cardinals already have a top ten pick at quarterback from last year’s draft in Josh Rosen. A pick they had to trade up, and give up assets for. This of course, has led to speculation the team is now shopping Rosen around the league. In an interview on the show Undisputed, Joel Klatt of Fox Sports is reporting that the Patriots and Chargers are among the teams most interested in trading for the Cardinal’s current QB.
So two playoff contenders with aging quarterbacks are interested in trading for Josh Rosen. Does that scenario sound familiar to anyone in Pittsburgh? The Steelers should be every bit as interested in this player as New England or Los Angeles. This is a once in a generation opportunity to acquire a top ten quarterback, without actually having to bottom out to get one. Josh Rosen was the tenth overall pick last year, in what was one of the best quarterback drafts in recent memory. Some analysts actually had him ranked ahead of Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold who were the first and third players taken. Compared to the current crop of quarterbacks in this year’s draft, there’s no question Rosen would be the highest rated by far. The question then becomes what will it take to get a deal like this done? In the same interview, Joel Klatt reported the Cardinals have already been offered a second round pick in exchange for Rosen. Arizona seems determined to hold out for a first rounder however. It’s safe to assume if Kevin Colbert was interested, it would cost the Steelers the 20th overall pick to ensure getting Rosen.
Sure the team has other, more immediate needs to fill out the 2019 roster. The Steelers desperately need a linebacker, and receiver for next season. Tight end and corner are two more positions that could be addressed in the first round. Even with all those positions to fill, is there ever a greater need than a top end starting quarterback in today’s NFL? Of course the answer is no, despite the Steelers having a player like Ben Roethlisberger in hand. Pittsburgh could sit Rosen for a year while they make one more run at the Super Bowl with Roehtlisberger. Once that’s done, make the transition to the younger quarterback in 2020. The kicker to all this is Rosen costs next to nothing in terms of salary for the next three years. The Cardinals have already paid out $12 of the $17 million due for the length of his contract. There would be plenty of cap space to fill out the rest of the roster once Big Ben is off the books.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are one, maybe two years away from the unenviable position of being without a franchise quarterback. The Arizona Cardinals are graciously offering up a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger right now. If Kevin Colbert doesn’t take advantage of this opportunity, the team will suffer for years to come. Forget names like Devin Bush, Devin White, and Greedy Williams. The best use of the Steelers number one draft pick would be to acquire Josh Rosen.
I’ve been hoping to see Rosen in a Steelers uniform since he played at UCLA. He carried the Bruins through very difficult times, and although the team’s success was limited, Rosen was a rock star! He is a hidden gem and the perfect solution to a void behind Ben. He is also a very serious person, great student who would be an asset on and off the field. Rosen/JuJu combo–would love to see these former rivals come together–Steeler Dynasty once again!