The Miami Dolphins completed their bid for Tua Tagovailoa by selecting the Alabama quarterback prospect with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and that creates an opportunity for the New Orleans Saints.
With Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick locked in, that puts backup passer Josh Rosen on the trading block again. It’s not fair to Rosen, sure — he was given a raw deal with the Arizona Cardinals in his rookie year before getting shipped out of town to Miami, who also had their eyes on another quarterback the entire time. But New Orleans might be where he can stick around.
Neither the Cardinals nor the Dolphins have fielded a single offensive lineman who would start for the Saints the last few years. Both teams have overhauled their coaching staffs and put Rosen through a lot of instability. It’s tough to understate just how strong of a situation he could step into with the Saints.
And it might not take much to acquire him. Rosen was traded to the Dolphins in exchange for a package of second- and fifth-round draft picks, and his stock has only sunk further after the Dolphins tanked their 2019 season. The Saints wouldn’t have to give up much to add him.
Going after Rosen might be the best move the Saints can make right now at quarterback. Drew Brees and Taysom Hill are the only passers under contract with the team right now, and Brees has already made retirement plans. Hill is a free agent after the season, when he’ll be 30. If nothing else, having Rosen around to hold a clipboard on game days would be worth the price of a late-round draft pick. If he shows the Saints something in training camp and can compete with Hill to start in the future, even better.
But that’s all predicated on the idea that the Dolphins would be open to moving Rosen. They could very well envision him as a long-term backup for Tagovailoa, who is recovering from a serious hip injury and a series of lower-leg issues.
But it wouldn’t hurt the Saints to ask.
