With a suspension looming for Deshaun Watson, the Browns remain on the lookout for a short-term QB addition. Two new candidates the team is looking at have emerged. 
Cleveland is holding workouts with Josh Rosen and A.J. McCarron, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). He adds that the Browns are eyeing a training camp roster including four signal-callers: Watson, presumed Week 1 starter Jacoby Brissett, free agent signing Josh Dobbs, and another passer capable of acting as insurance during Watson’s absence.
Rosen and McCarron were connected last offseason as well, though under different circumstances. It was the latter’s preseason ACL tear that left the Falcons in need of a late addition at QB. Rosen was made available when he was waived by the 49ers at the start of their training camp, and signed in August. The move increased the number of teams the 2018 first-rounder had joined to four since his one-year stint with the Cardinals during his rookie season.
Rosen dressed for four games last season, attempting just 11 passes. Since his inaugural campaign, the former top-10 pick has suited up for 10 total contests. McCarron, whom the Browns nearly traded for in 2017, is now three years removed from his last start, which came with the Texans. Neither QB would therefore be seen as a threat to Brissett’s status as the team’s top option for however long Watson is sidelined.
Given their cap situation, Cleveland has been named as a potential suitor for Jimmy Garoppolo in the event of Watson being banned for the entire 2022 campaign. The 49ers veteran was officially given permission to seek a trade yesterday, and would represent the most accomplished passer sill available this late in the offseason. However, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports that the team is “not expected” to pursue a trade for the 30-year-old, nor have the Browns shown interest in free agent Cam Newton.
Instead, she adds, Cleveland has “inquired about” Garrett Gilbert. The journeyman spent the 2019 season with the Browns, and is a free agent again after his brief 2022 Raiders tenure ended. He could provide competition to Rosen and McCarron as the Browns look for serviceable QB depth.
never forget when everyone called him chosen rosen and he had a hot tub in his dorm
or the “9 mistakes taken ahead of me”
Katherine Webb alone raises the talent level for the entire city of Cleveland.
I wonder if this means Cleveland has some inside info on Watson suspension number and is getting a head start?
Garrett Gilbert looks like Adam Devines twin
wait … I was only joking when I posted “ROSEN YOUR TIME IS NOW!” on another thread.
I guess Uncle Ben was right?
with great power comes great responsibility
Forgive me Cleveland
No to Rosen. Yes to McCarron if he’s healthy. Hopefully Brissett can remain healthy for the games until Watson returns
Add Jimmy g to that list in a couple weeks
If Watson were to be suspended for the whole year, maybe. Talk now is up to 8 games so I doubt they’ll go after Garapollo for 8 starts, if that
Brownsbacker, you never cease to amaze me. You’ve got the impeccable inside scoop day in and day out. You know exactly what happened in those “sessions (hey guys touching an unwilling woman is..not….that…bad), you’ve got the beat on how low the punishment will be, and AND you know EXACTLY how stellar Watson is going to be after a year off. I mean I’ve already taken a second mortgage out on my house and put it all on the Browns.
First off, it was just not playing in a game. He was not injured. He could still throw, run and lift. Brady missed a year with an injury and he didn’t miss a beat. Burrow missed 9 months and went to the Super Bowl the next year. Get that idea out of your head that Watson is somehow gonna be bad because he didn’t play in a game. He’s still gonna play in the preseason. Secondly, I read the local Cleveland writers. They know more than most what is going on. It’s their only job, covering the Browns. Thirdly, unwanted touching is not rape, like a lot of people on here are accusing him of. These were outcalls I do believe. I’m guessing that these women get touched inappropriately by a lot of clients. Is it right? No. Would I do it? No. From what I’ve read, he didn’t force himself on them. Kraft did the same thing and got no punishment, in fact most people thought it was funny.
Need to stop comparing to Kraft. Kraft should’ve gotten WAY more. And I never said it was rape but sexual assault is sexual assault. And if these were “outcalls,” that still violates league conduct rules. And he could play well when he returns….but that’s no guarantee. Never is and that guarantee goes down the more time a player is away from the game.
He’s 26. There is NO WAY he has lost anything. I don’t expect him to put up the same numbers he did with the Texans because Cleveland has the best running game in the league and they had a top 5 defense last year so Watson won’t have to throw 40 times a game. Kraft should have gotten WAY more? Kraft didn’t get anything. Of course assault is assault, but punching a guy in the face and pushing him is also assault but I guarantee that the courts will view those differently. What Watson did was more inappropriate than it was an attack
The guy is a loser who spends most of his free time on this website posting comments. He has a lot of free time because he’s jobless.
I call it retired. Why won’t you answer me about the Astros coward? They should have not been given a trophy. It’ll always say “cheaters” on it. Btw, I’m hardly a loser. My life is almost perfect.
The Cleveland browns cheated first. You don’t know that though do you. Spending too much time preparing yourself for the arrival of the great sexual predator to Desaun Watson. Excited about how he’s going to normalize your own sexual predator behavior. You forgot that in 2015 the Cleveland browns got busted cheating and fined by the NFL for the use of electronic devices during games.
You are extremely stupid. I hope the few people that do know you have alerted the authorities.
It wasn’t cheating. It was the GM texting the head coach on who to put in the game. That’s why Shanahan left to be the OC for Atlanta. The Astros stole the World Series so that makes you the biggest hypocrite on here
So Josh Rosen ends up the starter and he blossoms into the best Browns QB since Bernie Kosar.
I think I would stop betting on anything the rest of my life if that happened.
Holdout for better odds max and bet Manziel will return to Cleveland and lead the Browns to a championship.