Cardinals insert rookie QB Rosen in place of Bradford in loss to Bears
Sep 23, 2018, 4:11 PM | Updated: 4:53 pm
Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks Josh Rosen (3), Sam Bradford (9), Chad Kanoff (6) and Mike Glennon (7) walk on the field during stretching exercises at the NFL football team's practice Thursday, June 14, 2018, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Rookie Josh Rosen is no longer the Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback of the future. That’s because the future is now.
Arizona coach Steve Wilks inserted Rosen in place of starting quarterback Sam Bradford in the fourth quarter Sunday in a Week 3 matchup against the Chicago Bears.
The Cardinals (0-3) led the Bears 16-14 when Rosen entered with 4:31 left in the game, but the quarterback switch didn’t affect the outcome. Rosen completed 3-of-6 passes for 27 yards in his first NFL drive before he threw an interception to Chicago’s Bryce Callahan with 1:16 left. The Cardinals had one last possession with 43 seconds left, but the game ended with a sack of Rosen near midfield.
Rosen finished his debut having completed 4-of-7 passes for 36 yards and the pick.
To begin the game, Bradford threw two first-quarter touchdown passes as the Cardinals took an early 14-0 lead at State Farm Stadium. But with two interceptions and a lost fumble between those two touchdown strikes and Rosen’s appearance, he totaled 157 yards on 13-of-19 passing as the offense struggled to move the ball — or score.
Through losses to the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams to begin the year, Bradford entered Week 3 having completed 61 percent of his passes for 243 and just 3.98 yards per attempt. He’d thrown two interceptions and no touchdowns for a quarterback rating of 55.6 (his career worst rating was 70.5 in 2011 for the St. Louis Rams).
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The 30-year-old Bradford steps aside and makes room for Rosen after signing a contract worth up to $20 million this season with $15 million guaranteed. Bradford’s deal also has a team option for next season worth $20 million.
Bradford signed the deal after missing most of 2017 as a member of the Minnesota Vikings due to a knee injury that also forced Arizona to limit him throughout training camp.
Rosen, who played three years in college at UCLA, played in Arizona’s first two preseason games, completing 16-of-29 passes for 148 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
A thumb injury kept Rosen sidelined for the final two weeks of the preseason.
The Cardinals traded the No. 15 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, plus their third- and fifth-round picks, to the Oakland Raiders on draft night, moving up to select Rosen 10th overall.
Rosen becomes the fourth rookie quarterback to make an appearance this year, joining Baker Mayfield (Cleveland), Sam Darnold (New York Jets) and Josh Allen (Buffalo).
