Josh Rosen is getting another opportunity, this time with the San Francisco 49ers.
The San Francisco 49ers were forced to find a quarterback to backup C.J. Beathard, as Nick Mullens was injured in last week’s loss to the Cowboys. The newest quarterback addition to the Niners’ depth chart is none other than former first-round pick, Josh Rosen.
It’s been an interesting road for Rosen, who went No. 10 overall just two years ago and is now heading to his fourth team in three seasons. Rosen was drafted by the Cardinals, didn’t do enough for them to pass on Kyler Murray with the No. 1 pick the next year, and then landed with the Dolphins, where he was beaten out by the ageless wonder, Ryan Fitzpatrick.
After another tough season, Rosen found himself on his third team in just his third year in the league, as he signed on the Buccaneers practice squad. This really appeared to be the best option for Rosen, as he had a chance to not only learn from Tom Brady but Bruce Arians as well.
As good as the Buccaneers’ opportunity was for Rosen, he wasn’t getting into a game this year unless Tampa was ravaged by injuries or had issues with COVID. He has a chance to see some playing time in San Francisco in these final two games and the Niners were wise to bring him in.
There’s still hope for Josh Rosen and the San Francisco 49ers are hoping to see something out of him.
The biggest thing here is that Rosen is still young, sitting at just 23 years old (he’ll be 24 in February) and if put in the right situation, could still turn into something special at the quarterback position. Rosen wasn’t set up to succeed in Arizona, as the offensive line that year was dreadful and Rosen didn’t have time to throw. He didn’t play well in Miami either, but the team was notably terrible at the beginning of the 2019 season, so that can’t all be on him.
Another thing to consider is that the 49ers are going to need a backup quarterback for 2021 and beyond, as both Mullins and Beathard are hitting free agency this offseason. It’s possible they bring one of those guys back, but if they get to be too expensive, Rosen is a fairly cheap option to consider keeping onboard.
Lastly, Rosen could learn a lot from Kyle Shanahan, who helped get Matt Ryan an MVP in 2016 when he was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons. He’s turned the 49ers around since taking over, leading them to a Super Bowl last season, and had Jimmy Garoppolo playing good football for the most part.
Josh Rosen might never be a starting quarterback, but bringing him in to back up Beathard in these final two games is a smart idea. Perhaps this could lead to great things for both sides.