Why the 49ers Should Keep Josh Rosen
Just because the 49ers drafted Trey Lance doesn't mean they should dump Josh Rosen.
There's an extremely plausible scenario in which the 49ers decide Lance won't be ready to start until midway through the season and Jimmy Garoppolo will get injured before Lance is ready to play. In that case, the 49ers would need someone to bridge the gap between Garoppolo and Lance.
And Rosen is the best option. Rosen is the third-best quarterback on the team. He's better than Josh Johnson, the soon-to-be-35-year-old career backup quarterback who recently spent time in the XFL. And Rosen is better than Nate Sudfeld, the 27-year-old career backup quarterback from Modesto who has thrown just 37 passes in his entire career. Sudfeld is the human white flag when he steps on the field. He gives his team no chance to win.
As opposed to Rosen, who has started 16 games in the NFL. He won only three, but he played for awful teams, and he's young. Only 24. And he was the 10th pick of the 2018 draft. So he clearly has physical gifts.
If the 49ers could beat the Arizona Cardinals last season with C.J. Beathard, they can win games with Rosen. Because Rosen beat Beathard twice in 2018 when Rosen was the Cardinals starting quarterback.
Plus Rosen is a potential trade chip down the line for the 49ers. If they keep him and develop him, he might be worth something in a few years.
The 49ers would be nuts to get rid of him now.
