Of all of the first-round quarterbacks to have come and gone in recent memory, few - if any - have ever had to experience what Josh Rosen has in his first year and a half as an NFL player.

A star with the UCLA Bruins, Rosen's future seemed set when he was taken by the Arizona Cardinals with the 10th-overall pick in the 2018 Draft. But after the Cardinals became the worst team in the league in Rosen's rookie year, the team bit on NFL trends towards young, offensive-minded head coaches and college-style offenses by hiring Kliff Kingsbury, who quickly set out to install an "Air Raid" system - a plan which did not include the quarterback he inherited. The Cardinals used the No. 1-overall pick in the Draft to take Kyler Murray, and subsequently excommunicated Rosen to the Miami Dolphins via trade.

Now in South Beach, Rosen has been met with few guarantees in a quarterback competition with journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick. But surely enough, the former Bruins standout has begun to make progress: Playing behind Fitzpatrick in the Dolphins' first preseason game, Rosen led Miami's second and third-team offenses on two touchdown drives, completing 13 of 20 passes for 191 yards and an interception. And with the Dolphins' second game of the preseason forthcoming, head coach Brian Flores stated during a Saturday conference call that Rosen "may" get the opportunity to play with members of the first-team offense.

"Josh, he’s got to take care of the things he can control and do a good job with the reps he has. That’s the case for every guy," said Flores. "That’s kind of how I feel about it. As a staff, we’ll have make that decision when we feel like anyone is ready to move up or down. That’ll be our decision as a staff and we’ll do what we feel is best for the Miami Dolphins."

Speaking on his own account, Rosen stated that he feels "substantially better" about his progress than he did two weeks ago when Dolphins training camp began. But when juxtaposing himself to Fitzpatrick, he acknowledged that he still has a lot to learn when it comes to taking command of Miami's offense.

"The way Fitz in our meeting room can break down a defense and how quickly he can make comments on where everyone is, where the ball should go, is pretty impressive," said Rosen. "And I think if I can kind of hedge that gunslinger attitude a little bit and put a little bit more thought into it, I think I could develop pretty nicely."

Throughout the offseason and the early part of training camp, the youth & enthusiasm of Rosen has taken a backseat to Fitzpatrick and his special brand of veteran experience & treachery. Nearing mid-August, not much has changed: While Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun Sentinel characterized Rosen as a player whose "stock has risen" during training camp, Fitzpatrick reportedly has a steady lead in the Dolphins' quarterback competition.

Rosen's next opportunity to develop is forthcoming, as the Dolphins will make the trip north to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers on Friday night. Rosen will be one of two former Bruins in the game, joining Buccaneers offensive lineman Caleb Benenoch.