Browns sign Josh Rosen after dumping another from the class of 2018

Not long after trading away the No. 1 pick from the 2018 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns signed the No. 10 pick from that year, bringing in Josh Rosen

Josh Rosen is signing a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns according to multiple sources.

Rosen, the one-time highly touted first-round pick in the 2018 draft, the same one former Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was taken as the No. 1 overall pick that year will now get a shot in Cleveland.

Rosen was taken at No. 10 by the Arizona Cardinals back in 2018 and some proponents of the youngster thought the former UCLA Bruin was the most ready for the NFL at the time. That quickly disintegrated as Rosen was traded the following season to the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins were so unhappy with him that he was sent to the San Francisco 49ers by the end of that season. The 49ers in turn released him the following year in 2021 when he signed as a backup quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons.

Now he is a Cleveland Brown. For a quarterback that was highly regarded in 2018, it certainly was a fast fall from grace.

The Browns organization doesn’t yet know what will happen with their star quarterback Deshaun Watson — who is facing a long suspension from the NFL. But, the fact that they went out and signed a fourth quarterback would suggest they’re preparing for the worst.

Rosen had a 3-10 record in the 2018 Cardinals season. He has since not won a game as a starter.

Strictly as a third-string quarterback, this move by Cleveland isn’t a bad decision. Rosen is still only 25, years old and likely could help in case the team ends up in crisis mode — although, he has yet to prove he can get it done as he had a 3-10 record as a rookie and hasn’t won a game as a starter since then.

Josh Rosen still has to earn a spot with the Browns

Training camp for the veterans of the team starts next Tuesday and it will interesting to see if Rosen holds onto a roster spot.

The other two quarterbacks likely in front of him besides Watson are Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs. Brissett is set to be the Week 1 starter if Watson is suspended and then Rosen and Dobbs would battle it out for that backup role.

The oddity is that Mayfield and former 2018 No.3 overall pick Sam Darnold are going to battle it out now for the Carolina Panthers starting role. Add in the fact that Rosen now is trying to stay in the NFL with this latest shot with the Browns and it just showcases how quickly expectations in the league can go south.

Hopefully, Cleveland will see a glimpse of the talent Rosen had which led to him being a top-10 pick.