The Rams were faced with a lot of tough calls as they trimmed their roster down from 80 players to only 53, but perhaps there was none bigger than the one at quarterback. No, it had nothing to do with Matthew Stafford or John Wolford, but rather Bryce Perkins, who was No. 3 on the depth chart.
He’ll be staying put in that spot, too.
The Rams decided to keep Perkins on the initial 53-man roster instead of waiving him Tuesday, penciling him in as the No. 3 quarterback behind Stafford and Wolford. It’s an indication of how highly the Rams view Perkins, who impressed in the preseason with 451 yards passing and three touchdowns, as well as 114 yards rushing. He started and played the entirety of the last two games against the Raiders and Broncos, helping carry the second- and third-team offense.
Perkins making the initial 53-man roster doesn’t mean he’ll be active on game days, but it’s a massive step in the right direction for the second-year quarterback. Teams typically only keep two quarterbacks on the roster, so for someone like the Rams to keep a third behind Stafford and Wolford is noteworthy.
Perkins has made great progress since joining the Rams as an undrafted free agent last year, and it really showed in the preseason this summer. He didn’t make any critical errors, was going through his progressions and made highlight-reel plays with his legs – like this hurdle over a defender in Week 1.
OH NO HE DIDN'T 🔥@TDN_Perk with the stiff-arm + hurdle 😤 pic.twitter.com/Lw2xOB94XO
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 15, 2021
In an ideal world, the Rams probably would’ve liked to keep Perkins on the practice squad. But knowing another team might claim him off waivers, they decided against taking that risk and kept him on the 53.
He’ll now get even more time to learn Sean McVay’s system in Los Angeles, rather than having to potentially start over with another team if he was waived and claimed by someone else. McVay likes his skillset a lot and not just because he’s mobile, coming away impressed with the way he works through his options before taking off.
Having a quarterback capable of operating the Rams’ offense is valuable, especially in another season where COVID-19 can knock out a position group for a given game. If Stafford were to test positive and miss a game, the Rams would be much better off with Wolford and Perkins at quarterback rather than a free agent off the street backing Wolford up.
It’s partly a matter of being safe than sorry, but it’s even more about Perkins proving his value this preseason, his first game action since his college days in 2019. The Rams were wise to keep him on the 53-man roster, at least initially.
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