Teams sending QBs packing in final cuts despite pandemic
The theory that NFL teams would go with three quarterbacks to start the pandemic-impacted season took a hit Saturday.
Lots of third- stringers were sent packing as the 32 teams got down to the 53-man limit. The season opens Thursday night with Houston at Super Bowl champion Kansas City.
Perhaps most noteworthy was Miami releasing Josh Rosen, a first-round selection by Arizona in 2018 who was dealt to the Dolphins last year after the Cardinals took Kyler Murray with the top overall selection. Rosen was behind veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and first- rounder Tua Tagovailoa on the depth chart.
“The most important thing is to kind of move forward and not look back,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said. “You don’t hit on every play, on every trade, on every draft pick. Show me a team that has hit on every one. I’ll applaud that team.”
Miami also traded for versatile rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. It also got a sixth- round draft pick from the Raiders for a fourth- round choice.
Bowden can play running back or receiver, and also played quarterback at Kentucky.
Other quarterbacks released were Cooper Rush and Alex Tanney of the Giants; Kurt Benkert and Kyle Lauletta of the Falcons; Chad Kelly of the Colts; and David Fales and Mike White of the Jets, who said veteran Joe Flacco passed his physical after neck surgery.
Making the Giants was Mr. Irrelevant. Georgia linebacker Tae Crowder, the final player taken in April’s draft, is on the roster.
One NFL star quarterback got much richer. The Texans and Deshaun Watson reached agreement on a four-year, $160 million contract that ranks only behind the 10-year, $503 million deal for Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. Coincidentally, those two will face off in the season opener on Thursday night.
“As a child growing up in Georgia, it was always my dream to play in the NFL,”
Watson wrote on social media. “Today, I couldn’t be more honored and humbled to sign a longterm deal in Houston, the city that I’ve grown to love so much and now call my home.”
“I promise to do everything I can to not only bring a championship to this great city but also leave a legacy of helping positively impact this community,” he wrote in the post. “Now back to the work ...”