Patriots: Dolphins cutting Josh Rosen gives Bill Belichick chance to steal QB of future

Should the Patriots take a chance on the recently released Josh Rosen?

While fans in New England are excited for the Cam Newton era to officially get underway — he was finally named the starting quarterback this week — it really remains to be seen if the former MVP is invested in the Patriots long term.

Truth be told, we don’t even know if head coach Bill Belichick is keen on running it back with Newton under center. Even if he is, we all know he isn’t going to give him top dollar, which the three-time Pro Bowler will undoubtedly be seeking, assuming he enjoys a bounce back season.

Luckily for the Patriots, another potential long-term answer at QB was just axed by a division rival, as the Miami Dolphins released former No. 10 overall pick Josh Rosen on Friday.

We’re honestly not sure what Rosen’s ceiling is in the NFL, but he hasn’t exactly gotten a chance to prove himself, either. The 23-year-old gunslinger has been the victim of some unfortunate circumstances through the first two years of his pro career.

To be fair, he started 13 games as a rookie with Arizona, completing 55.2% of his passes for 2,278 yards and 11 touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions. Those are borderline woeful numbers, but how often do signal callers take the league by storm in Year 1?

After the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray with the first overall pick in the 2019 Draft, Rosen was traded to Miami, where he was ultimately supplanted as the starter by Ryan Fitzpatrick…before the Dolphins used the No. 5 overall pick on Alabama stud Tua Tagovailoa this past April.

That selection all but sealed Rosen’s fate in South Beach, so his release was surprising in name only, and hardly stunning.

There’s no denying that Rosen hasn’t made the most of his opportunities since entering the NFL, but his leash, for lack of a better term, has been markedly shorter than that of other young quarterbacks.

Rosen’s confidence is likely flailing. However, that could all change with a move to New England, whose culture could seriously work wonders on him. A potential QB of the future is sitting on the open market, and Belichick shouldn’t think twice of at least bringing him in for a workout.

At the very least, the Rosen addition would be a lottery ticket to quell Patriots fans’ worries about playing “too well to tank” under Newton. Additionally, Rosen is a pretty clear Steelers target as the heir apparent to Big Ben Roethlisberger. Could a claim, and the addition of a fourth QB, be worth it on those grounds alone?

What’s the worst that could happen?