The Vikings Should Trade For Josh Rosen To Upgrade at Backup QB
There are two main categories of NFL backup quarterbacks.
First, there are the veterans who can be asked to keep a team afloat in the event of an injury to the starter. This could be a player who is good enough to potentially start elsewhere, a former starter who was replaced at their previous stop, or a career backup who has seen occasional action.
Several teams with established starters made aggressive moves to add a veteran QB this offseason, with the Raiders signing Marcus Mariota, the Saints signing Jameis Winston, and the Cowboys adding Andy Dalton. Case Keenum (Browns), Jacoby Brissett (Colts), and Matt Schaub (Falcons) are other solid examples of this type of backup.
The second category is the young, developmental quarterback who may or may not be groomed to take over as the starter someday. The Packers traded up to grab Jordan Love in the first round and the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts in the second, immediately creating some doubt as to how long Aaron Rodgers and Carson Wentz will remain the faces of those franchises. This could also be a middle-round rookie or a young player who has yet to win a starting job anywhere.
There are also players who straddle both categories. Mariota kind of fits into both, as do guys like Nick Mullens (49ers) and Kyle Allen (Redskins).
Right now, the Vikings have neither. Their backup quarterback situation is one of the worst in the NFL, with no proven depth pieces or exciting developmental options behind Kirk Cousins.
This offseason, the Vikings re-signed 2019 backup Sean Mannion to a one-year, minimum price deal. Mannion is an uninspiring veteran with three interceptions in 74 career pass attempts who mostly receives praise for his contributions in helping Cousins prepare each week in meetings and film sessions. The two young quarterbacks on the roster are 2019 undrafted free agent Jake Browning and recent seventh-round pick Nate Stanley, neither of whom is likely to ever see many NFL snaps.
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Cousins has never missed a game since becoming a starter five years ago, but if he were to go down with an injury, the Vikings would have zero shot at being competitive. This is the NFL, where anyone can get hurt at any time. With a talented roster featuring stars on both sides of the ball, the Vikings are doing themselves a disservice by being satisfied with their current quarterback depth.
There are ways to fix that if they wanted to. Here are two players – one from each aforementioned category – that would be excellent fits in Minnesota.
The young developmental option: Josh Rosen
It was just two years ago when the Cardinals drafted Rosen with the No. 10 overall pick, but it feels like forever. He struggled mightily as a rookie, and when the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray in 2019, they traded Rosen to the Dolphins. Things weren't much better for him in limited action last year.
Rosen already feels like a bust, but it's far too early for that. He just turned 23 in February and still possesses all of the talent that made him a top pick. Also, in both of his NFL stops so far, he has been set up for failure by being thrown into the fire for awful teams.
So where does he go from here? Rosen is third on the Dolphins depth chart behind Tua Tagovailoa and Ryan Fitzpatrick, and it was reported this week that Miami has fielded trade calls for him. It would be unheard of for a quarterback taken in the top ten to be on his third team by his third year, but that might actually be the best thing for Rosen at this point.
The Vikings should get on the phone with the Dolphins and see if they can acquire the former UCLA star for a fourth or fifth-round pick. Rick Spielman already has eight day three picks in the 2021 draft, so he can afford to part with one, especially because the potential reward makes it more than worth it. Rosen has outstanding footwork, mechanics, and accuracy. He's also a highly intelligent player with poise in the pocket.
Rosen could step in as the Vikings' backup and learn from Cousins and Kubiak. He needs to continue developing and to regain his confidence, and being on a winning team with an experienced veteran starter and a great offensive coordinator could work wonders for his career.
In the best-case scenario, the Vikings unlock Rosen's talent and he becomes the long-term successor for Cousins in Minnesota. He also could turn into a solid backup or continue to struggle, but the Vikings won't have given up much to find out.
The veteran option: Joe Flacco
Update: Flacco has signed a one-year deal with the Jets. So much for this idea! The headline of this article has been updated to focus solely on Rosen.
Signing Flacco makes a ton of sense for the Vikings. The 2012 Super Bowl MVP would be an instant upgrade over Mannion who could legitimately win some games if Cousins were to get injured. ESPN analysts Matt Bowen and Bill Barnwell have both floated this as a move that the Vikings should make.
Flacco spent 11 seasons with the Ravens before joining the Broncos last season. His stint in Denver was forgettable, as the team was headed to a 2-6 start when he suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 8. But Flacco was actually pretty solid in those eight games for a Broncos team that was lacking talent. His passer rating and yards per attempt were both better than his last four years in Baltimore, and he posted a career-best 65.3 completion percentage.
This would be a great fit because of Flacco's connection to Vikings offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, who spent the 2014 season as his OC with the Ravens. They went 10-6 that year and Flacco had one of the most productive seasons of his career. Here are some notable stats he recorded in 2014 and their ranking among his 12 NFL seasons:
- 3,986 passing yards (2nd)
- 27 touchdown passes (1st)
- 7.2 yards per attempt (T-2nd)
- 91.0 passer rating (2nd)
- 68.2 QBR (1st)
- 77.2 PFF grade (2nd)
The 35-year-old Flacco would bring size, a big arm, and over a decade of experience to the Vikings' QB room. He has some similarities to Cousins in that both are pocket passers who struggle to make plays under pressure or on the move. If he ended up seeing the field, Flacco would benefit from Kubiak's scheme and the Vikings' talent at the skill positions. He is still currently recovering from the neck injury but is expected to be ready to go by the start of the season.
This quote from Mike Zimmer on the role of backup QBs from back in February was interesting.
“I think the backup quarterback’s job is to help the starting quarterback, but I also think if the starting quarterback gets hurt, that guy has to be good enough to go into a game,” Zimmer said. “So when we’re looking for a backup quarterback, we want to be able to have somebody who, if he has to go in for three games, he can win those three games. For us, it’s not to be another coach for Kirk. At the end of the day he’s got to be able to play too.”
Flacco would give the Vikings a much better chance to win any stretch of games without Cousins than Mannion, Browning, or Stanley would.
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