The Detroit Lions should take a flier on QB Josh Rosen

After drafting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami Dolphins opted to release a top 2018 NFL Draft pick in Josh Rosen.  It’s a quarterback the Detroit Lions should consider adding.

The Detroit Lions had a clear need to upgrade their back-up quarterback situation after last seasons’ debacle. Still, general manager Bob Quinn seemed to dash towards Chase Daniel locking the lifetime back-up to a lucrative three-year deal, $13 million for a player that’s made five career starts.

You could make a strong argument that the Detroit Lions have not had a stable second-string quarterback sitting behind Matthew Stafford since the Shaun Hill days.

There is no guarantee a kid like Josh Rosen will ever amount to anything in the NFL, but he’s a former first-round pick by just a couple of years ago by the Arizona Cardinals.  The Cardinals spent the 10th overall pick in hopes he’d be their franchise quarterback for years to come, but things ended early in Arizona for Rosen.

The very next year, the organization used the first overall pick on a surging playmaker in Kyler Murray.  Choosing Murray made Rosen expendable, and the Dolphins decided to take a flier on the young quarterback.  Rosen failed to win the starting job over veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, and with the second overall pick in the 2020 draft, Miami selected their future star quarterback.

Miami decided to release Rosen, maybe allowing him an opportunity elsewhere rather than having him sit third on the teams’ depth chart. Oddly enough, Rosen will be searching for his third NFL team in as many years.

At this point, the Detroit Lions are rostering three quarterbacks, but with David Blough being the teams’ third option, he’s a candidate to be cut Saturday as teams need to trim their rosters to 53 players by 4 pm EST. I expect Blough will be placed on Detroit’s practice squad.

With all the COVID-19 concerns surrounding the NFL season, I would not be surprised to see many teams carry three quarterbacks throughout the year.  Rosen is an upgrade to Blough, and probably even Daniel.  Daniel’s experience and film study may take precedence, but talent-wise, Rosen is the superior player of the two.

Rosen spent his rookie season running for his life behind an atrocious Arizona offensive line.  He compiled 2,278 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.  Last year Rosen made three starts throwing for 567 yards, one touchdown, and five interceptions in Miami.

During Rosen’s college play at the University of UCLA, he regularly displayed a strong downfield throwing arm.  His skill-set may fit nicely behind Stafford in offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell’s attacking offense.  Rosen is someone the Detroit Lions should consider adding over the next couple of days.