Getty Images New Browns QB Josh Rosen.
The Cleveland Browns have signed quarterback Josh Rosen, adding him as a fourth quarterback on the roster as they head into training camp.
Rosen will join Deshaun Watson, Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs on the depth chart. It’s assumed Rosen will compete with Dobbs for the backup job behind Brissett if Watson is out with a suspension. However, the Browns are still waiting to see how long the QB’s ban will be.
Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the signing of Rosen by the Browns.
Cleveland is signing former first-round Josh Rosen to a one-year deal, per sources. Despite spending time with five other NFL teams,
Rosen is only 25 years old and those who have been around him believe he is ready to prove he belongs.
“Despite spending time with five other NFL teams, Rosen is only 25 years old and those who have been around him believe he is ready to prove he belongs,” Schefter tweeted.
After being selected by the Cardinals with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Rosen has failed to find a long-term home in the NFL. He’s played for five different teams since being drafted, most recently backing up Matt Ryan in Atlanta.
Rosen went 3-10 as the starter in Arizona as a rookie, tossing 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He was replaced by Kyler Murray — who signed a massive extension on July 21 — the following year and has been on the move ever since.
Dobbs, a former fourth-round pick of the Steelers, has completed just 10-of-17 career pass attempts for 45 yards and one interception. Rosen carries a bit more in-game experience and has been around the likes of Tom Brady and Matt Ryan during his well-traveled last few years.
Browns Reshaped QB Room in Offseason
The move by the Browns is the latest at the quarterback position in what has been a busy offseason. They made the somewhat controversial move to trade for Watson in March and have also traded away former starter Baker Mayfield and his backup Case Keenum. Shortly after sending three first-round draft picks to the Texans for Watson, Cleveland inked him to a new five-year contract worth $230 million fully guaranteed.
The big question for the Browns is how long Watson will be out as they look to build an offense around him. If he’s sidelined for any period of time, it’s been made clear that Brissett would be the starter.
“I do have confidence in Jacoby,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said on June 14 at mandatory minicamp “He has played a lot of football for a young player. He is a smart player. He takes care of the football. Good size, can make all of the throws and those type of things. He has been in multiple offenses. Our offense is a little bit different than what he has done previously but has a really, really good understanding of football — football intelligence that is — so I just think he is a really good operator.”
Brissett is 14-23 as a starter in the NFL but will have a stellar supporting cast that includes Nick Chubb and Amari Cooper. He’ll also work behind one of the best offensive lines in football.
Browns Popped Up in Rumors for Other QBs
The signing of Rosen should put a halt to the rampant quarterback rumors that the Browns have been involved in since the end of last season.
Cleveland had been circled as a logical landing spot for displaced San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo via trade, and former MVP Cam Newton had also been mentioned as a possibility. Unless injury strikes, the Browns should be set for the camp and the preseason.
The Browns are set to open camp on July 27. They’ll face the Jaguars, Eagles and Bears in the preseason.