The Washington Redskins are surveying options for a long-term solution at quarterback. Alex Smith is presumably out for the 2019 season (and career) with a broken leg. Colt McCoy is currently the only quarterback signed on the roster, and while the team seems confident in McCoy as a starter next season, they are looking a more concrete answer for the future.
The Redskins hold the 15th overall pick in the first-round of next month’s NFL Draft, and while there are a slew of quarterbacks they’d be interested in, they may be out of range to land one. The price of moving up in the draft to secure one of the best options could be too steep for Washington whether it’s Kyler Murray of Oklahoma, Duke’s Daniel Jones, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins or Missouri’s Drew Lock.
That leads to another option, trading for a young available talent. There is a buzz that the Arizona Cardinals, who hold the No. 1 overall pick, could pick a quarterback — particularly Murray. New head coach Kliff Kingbury will usher in his Air Raid offense and Murray would be an ideal fit. If so, Arizona may have to make the quarterback they moved up in last year’s draft to select, Josh Rosen, available.
According to Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst, the Redskins have “openly spoken” about acquiring Rosen in a trade, if he is available.
While it serves as a rumor, it’s not a bad idea if Washington is actually considering making a move. The price of landing Rosen may be less than moving up in this year’s draft to select a quarterback.
Rosen was considered by many to be the best quarterback prospect in the 2018 draft. He didn’t shine as a rookie like Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, or Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, however, the Cardinals entered 2018 season in need of more help than the other teams.
It’s anyone’s guess of how much the Redskins’ actually desire Rosen. The Redskins were reportedly engaged in trade talks for Joe Flacco before Baltimore ultimately sent him to the Denver Broncos. Redskins team president Bruce Allen has since refuted that report.
Still, Rosen would be a good consolation prize. He is a young talent. Landing him would be much like drafting a rookie QB, and he might have more upside and promise than any free agent the Redskins could realistically sign.
He is 22 years old and on a rookie scale contract. Even with one season already done, the fifth-year option would give the Redskins four years of team control.
As a rookie, Rosen completed 55.2 percent of his passes for 2,278 yards with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 14 games. That’s not good, but Arizona didn’t have a sound offensive scheme. The Redskins have Jay Gruden who has a knack for adapting his system to a quarterback to better serve his skill set.
If Arizona is thinking of starting over at quarterback, Rosen is an intriguing option for the Redskins as they look to settle the position long-term.
