When the Los Angeles Rams signed Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, they knew he would be unavailable for the first two games of the season due to a PED suspension. Despite his looming absence, the Rams didn’t make another move at quarterback because they had Stetson Bennett on the roster still.
Well, through two preseason games, Bennett doesn’t exactly look like someone who’s ready to play meaningful snaps in a regular-season game. He’s thrown a league-high five interceptions, three more than any other quarterback, and has also lost a fumble.
Luckily for the Rams, there’s a quarterback whose name is being floated on the trade market and would be a perfect fit in Los Angeles: Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
According to The Athletic, the Browns are willing to discuss a trade involving their second-year quarterback out of UCLA, knowing they already have Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston atop the depth chart. They’ve even talked to a few teams about a trade of Thompson-Robinson, though it’s unclear which teams have called. Might the Rams be one of them?
Thompson-Robinson was drafted 140th overall last year, coincidentally with a pick the Rams gave the Browns to acquire Troy Hill in 2022. As a fifth-round rookie in 2023, Thompson-Robinson started three games, went 1-2 and had one touchdown to go with four interceptions.
It wasn’t a great showing, but he was also a Day 3 rookie who was thrust into a situation he probably wasn’t fully prepared for. With another year under his belt now, Thompson-Robinson should be better equipped to play in the NFL. In two preseason games this summer, he’s completed 27 of 35 passes for 260 yards and only one interception.
Thompson-Robinson is known for his athleticism, but he’s been much more of a passer than a runner this preseason; he’s carried it just one time for 2 yards. That athleticism, however, is what could draw the Rams to him.
Sean McVay loves mobile quarterbacks, even if he hasn’t had one as his starter yet. Bryce Perkins, John Wolford, Carson Wentz and Blake Bortles have all been backups in Los Angeles, and all of them are relatively mobile – to varying degrees, of course. Heck, even Bennett is an athletic and mobile quarterback.
Thompson-Robinson has 4.56 speed and can make plays with his legs, whether on designed runs or when the play breaks down. That’s something McVay could use in his offense if needed.
Acquiring Thompson-Robinson wouldn’t cost much. After all, he was only a fifth-round pick last year.
If the Rams are losing confidence in Bennett’s ability to back up Stafford in Weeks 1 and 2, perhaps a trade for Thompson-Robinson would help. He’s at least someone with regular-season experience and he’s looked good in the preseason thus far.
The Rams could keep Stafford, Bennett and Thompson-Robinson all on the initial 53-man roster and then when Garoppolo returns, decide which of the two young backups to keep. It’s a deal that could make sense for both parties.