With the Cleveland Browns still awaiting a decision on a likely suspension for quarterback Deshaun Watson, they went out and got themselves an additional backup QB in Josh Rosen just days ago.
In Rosen and Jacoby Brissett, they will now have two decent, if not impressive, options to fill in for Watson during what seems like an imminent suspension this season.
Brissett is somewhat of a known commodity, as he has thrown 36 touchdowns against 17 interceptions in his six NFL seasons while posting a passer rating of 83.0.
He had the luxury of spending his rookie season with the New England Patriots, and although he played in just three contests that season, he got to experience not only a team that won the Super Bowl that year but a team that had a dynastic championship culture.
It’s the type of culture the Browns are hoping to build now that they seem to have a talented and competitive roster.
All indications seem to be that Brissett will move into the QB1 role if and when Watson isn’t allowed to play.
But is there a chance Rosen could convince head coach Kevin Stefanski to put him ahead of Brissett in the pecking order?
Rosen Seems Locked Into The QB2 Slot Behind Brissett Without Watson
Rosen, a native of the Los Angeles area, was a big star at the University of California, Los Angeles, and he was one of several potential-laden signal-callers in the 2018 NFL Draft.
But much like Sam Darnold, who starred across town at the University of Southern California, Rosen has not even come close to living up to his initial billing.
In 24 NFL games, he has thrown for just 2,864 yards and 12 touchdowns while also tallying 21 interceptions.
Josh Rosen in every game I’ve seen him in https://t.co/b93g1sHXiu
— Blake Garman (@FrostedBlakes34) July 22, 2022
In 2019, Rosen’s second season, he was benched in Week 6 in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick, who himself has always been a lackluster quarterback.
The former Bruin didn’t play at all in 2020, and he got onto the field in just four games last year only when Atlanta Falcons QB2 A.J. McCarron had a season-ending injury.
If all that wasn’t bad enough, he has ranked dead-last in a key statistic since entering the league.
Lowest passer rating in NFL since 2019
(min. 100 attempts)Josh Rosen 42.6
PJ Walker 51.6
Jake Luton 54.5
Ryan Finley 59.4
David Blough 62.2 pic.twitter.com/xOKPuyVZbp— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) July 21, 2022
In addition, his sack percentage of 10.6 doesn’t exactly help, and a healthy season from the Browns’ talented offensive line may not help much in that department.
It’s Good To Have Options Though
Some may say that Rosen has never had a stable situation where he can simply relax, play and work on his development.
However, his numbers don’t really suggest that.
Still, he may have been the best of the lot when it came to finding a backup for Brissett.
There were rumors that Cleveland had some interest in Jimmy Garoppolo, but that ship sailed pretty fast.
Cam Newton doesn’t seem like a very attractive option, and Colin Kaepernick has been out of football for several years, mostly due to his polarizing sociopolitical activism.
In addition, the fantasy scenario of Baker Mayfield burying the hatchet and accepting a backup role behind Watson never had a chance of happening.
The Browns are in a situation where they simply have to hope that Watson doesn’t get suspended for more than about half the season.
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