Sources: Falcons Worked Out Vet QB Before Signing Rosen
Head coach Arthur Smith said after practice Monday the Falcons would be working out multiple quarterbacks to replace A.J. McCarron who suffered a season ending knee injury against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday.
When asked if he was willing to give any names, Smith was coy.
"Nah, I'm sure they'll get them out, if their agents haven't already leaked them out, they'll be out soon," said Smith.
Sources are telling FalconReport that the Atlanta Falcons also gave a trial to veteran quarterback Blake Bortles before settling on Josh Rosen yesterday.
Bortles was the No. 3 overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014. He played five seasons with the Jaguars, his most successful being 2017 when he led the team to a 10-6 record. It was Bortles only winning season at the helm.
He finished his tenure in Jacksonville with a 59.3% completion percentage, 17,649 yards, 103 touchdowns and 75 interceptions.
After leaving Jacksonville, Bortles signed a one year contract with the LA Rams in 2019. He saw action in three games, but only threw two passes.
Since his stop in LA, Bortles has bounced around several teams including the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers. The Packers signed him on May 24th of this year and waived him on July 27th.
Rosen was announced as the Falcons new quarterback signing Tuesday morning by Atlanta after the news broke late Monday night. A former top 10 pick in 2018, Rosen has had his own interesting journey to Atlanta.
READ MORE: Josh Rosen Highlights, Path to the Falcons
The quarterback carousel may not be over in Atlanta as Arthur Smith said the Falcons would be looking at quarterbacks next week once NFL rosters were trimmed from 80 to 53 next Tuesday.
Incumbent starter Matt Ryan has yet to see any action during the preseason, but that should change Sunday night when the Falcons wrap up their preseason schedule against the Cleveland Browns.
