ARIZONA CARDINALS
ESPN includes Rosen, Kingsbury in 100 factors shaping the future NFL
ESPN’s Dan Graziano included Arizona Cardinals QB Josh Rosen and new head coach Kliff Kingsbury in his 100 QBs, coaches, issues and decision-makers that will shape the NFL over the next three to four years.
Graziano chose Rosen as one of the 24 quarterbacks on the list.
More unknowns with Rosen than with his 2018 draft classmates — again, in part because he had no help. Kliff Kingsbury got the job as Arizona’s head coach because the team imagined him doing great things with Rosen. Their mutual legacy rests on what they can accomplish together in the next couple of years.
The Cardinals selected Rosen with the 10th pick in last year’s draft, but he didn’t start a game until Week 4. Rosen finished the season with 2,278 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Graziano also chose new Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as one of the 18 coaches that will affect the the NFL in the coming years.
The ultimate wild-card coaching hire, Kingsbury got the Arizona head-coaching job a month after Texas Tech fired him from the same position. If he succeeds with Josh Rosen, it could open NFL teams’ minds to hiring college coaches once again.
The Cardinals hired Kingsbury to a four-year contract eight days after the team decided to fire head coach Steve Wilks after one season. By signing the contract, Kingsbury left his position as offensive coordinator at the University of Southern California just a month into his tenure.
Former Cardinals offensive coordinator and current Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens also made Graziano’s list.
Some pretty well-qualified people wanted this job, and it went to Kitchens, seemingly because Baker Mayfield responded well to him in a half-season when Kitchens was interim offensive coordinator. Expectations are higher in Cleveland than they have been in a very long time.
Kitchens held multiple coaching positions with the Cardinals from 2007-2017. Most recently Kitchens served as the interim offensive coordinator for the Browns after the firing of Todd Haley.
