BREAKING: 49ers sign Josh Rosen off of Tampa Bay practice squad, in light of Mullens' season ending injury and Josh Johnson to the COVID19 list.
An old draft crush of many, but also a draft bust makes his way to SF, ironically to suit up against the very team that abandoned him a short time ago.
And just like that, the QB room has changed. The 49ers, in light of Josh Johnson being placed on the COVID-19 list and Nick Mullens requiring season-ending Tommy John’s surgery, have signed QB Josh Rosen.
The 49ers apparently had pursued him earlier as a backup, but lost out to Arians and Tampa Bay, but they saw the opportunity and took it.
But he is a 49er. This is a weird turn of events, and while Rosen should not be expected to be more than a body as a backup to Beathard, it certainly is intriguing going into next season, considering the 49ers have no backups signed.
Rosen is a former #10 overall pick out of UCLA, and was considered one of the best prospects in that draft - but his negatives along with being placed in a terrible situation in ARI brought him down. This infamous quote lives on: “There were 9 mistakes made ahead of me”.
Rosen has thrown for 2845 yards, 12 TDs, and 19 interceptions for a passer rating of 63.5 - not amazing for his career, but regardless, a change of scenery could maybe allow Rosen to compete for the backup job next year.
A scouting report from Bleacher Report in 2018 had this to say about Rosen:
In terms of mechanics, accuracy, footwork and touch, he's the best passer in the 2018 draft class. He's an incredibly clean passer.
Rosen's background as a tennis player is obvious in watching him take a three- or five-step drop.
He's a prototype in his release and delivery and operates like an NFL quarterback on play action.
Rosen doesn't get rattled in the pocket despite a thin frame and tends to get better the more he's hit.
With little talent around him at UCLA this season, Rosen's numbers weren't off the charts. Drops and missed connections played a role too.
He has the arm strength to hit windows and has shown consistent touch in leading receivers upfield. He doesn't miss often.
Injuries and a lack of mobility combine to scare teams as much as Rosen's alleged personality quirks.
He has been injured in each of his three seasons at UCLA and missed a large part of 2016 with a shoulder injury.
He doesn't have the athleticism to evade pass-rushers and instead puts down roots in the pocket.
When asked to move off his spot and make plays, his accuracy suffers.
Rosen will be judged on his off-field decisions. He infamously wore a "F--k Trump" hat to a Trump golf course and had a hot tub installed in his dorm room.
Scouts have told us Rosen is well-liked by teammates but not by coaches due to his "smarter than" attitude.
It certainly is ironic that Rosen will be suiting up against the Cardinals. He is still only 23 years old (2 years older than what Trevor Lawrence will be on draft day), and still has the physical talent with his arm to possibly be an NFL player. But don’t get your hopes up.. just yet. This is likely a move for a body, but it begs the question of why the 49ers would try to even get a heralded passer like him - this smells like a 2 game (or 2 weeks of practice) tryout for if Rosen can compete for the backup job next year. Kyle Shanahan had this to say about Rosen a couple years ago, in preparation for playing Rosen - after watching Rosen play the Seahawks:
“It was impressive. Similar to college. He’s a very good thrower. He made some very good throws in that game. They definitely, I believe, should have won that game. They had two big ones that were dropped, I think two touchdowns. It was impressive. So, as similar to college, we know we’re going against a good player. He definitely helps them.”
Rosen has not been placed in good scenarios at all, but part of it is his fault - even with Miami a year ago, and Arizona before that, Rosen was clearly not helping himself with some egregious mistakes and bad throws.
The 49ers have a new backup QB - but how long will he last?
Our pets heads are falling off!
not a fan. but who cares, depth signing.