Josh Rosen got a lot of reps in during his Dolphins debut Thursday.
The second-year quarterback completed 13 of his 20 passes for 191 yards in a 34-27 win over the Falcons. He wasn't able to find the end zone and threw one interception while taking two sacks. But for coach Brian Flores, who was also making his debut as the play-caller for Miami, Rosen's sack total should have been three.
Watch every NFL preseason and regular season game and RedZone on DAZN (start your free trial)
Flores will have to make the decision of whether to start Rosen or veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick at the beginning of the regular season. The journeyman seems to have the upper hand, but if Rosen can "play smarter" he might impress Flores enough to earn the job.
“At some point as a quarterback, you have to take a sack. That’s the play,” Flores said of a specific Rosen play, via the South Flordia Sun Sentinel. “But the guy has a little bit of a gunslinger mentality and likes to let it rip. Obviously, that was a nice one to Preston (Williams), but I think we want to play smarter than that in that situation. Not just let the ball go like we did.”
The play in question resulted in a Dolphins first down. Rosen escaped the grip of a defender and found wide receiver Preston Williams for a 16-yard pass completion. It was good for the team at the time, but even Rosen admitted after the game it might not have been the best decision.
“It may have been a little dicey," he said. "But I probably should’ve been smarter with that even though this one worked out.”
Rosen will likely get the starting nod in the second preseason game while Flores continues to weigh his options. It will give the young quarterback a chance to find the right balance.
“You just can’t fall into that trap because bad games will turn really bad really quickly if you don’t learn to negate that risk,” Rosen said.
“I’ve been battling that my whole career. I have to find that balance of knowing when I can push the edge, and when to just take the sack and live to play another down.”