Arizona Cardinals — How Long Until Josh Rosen Starts?

Like it or not, the Cardinals are in an all-out rebuild heading into 2018. First-year head coach Steve Wilks still has a strong defense, notably with edge rusher Chandler Jones and defensive backs Patrick Peterson and Budda Baker. But that defense won’t look so stout if the offense isn’t up to par, and there are plenty of question marks there.

Chief among these, of course, is when Arizona decides to start its newest high-profile addition, former UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, whom the team selected at No. 10 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Rosen likely sits behind veteran QB Sam Bradford for at least the first few games of the season. But Bradford, who hasn’t played a full season since 2012, is about as injury prone as it gets. And with the Cardinals offensive line ranked 26th in pass protection a year ago, per Football Outsiders, it’s only a matter of time before Bradford is faced with yet another likely injury.

Starting Rosen sooner than later has its perks. Despite Arizona’s O-line concerns, the quarterback would still have some notable weapons at his disposal, namely veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and running back David Johnson. Both are capable of producing excellent numbers on an otherwise bad team, which should help Rosen’s transition to the NFL go a bit more smoothly.

At the same time, though, throwing Rosen in prematurely can do an infinite amount of damage to a young quarterback’s confidence and playmaking abilities.

Needless to say, Wilks has a tough scenario on his hands this season.

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