Everyone was aware of Jared Goff’s struggles the last two seasons, but not many expected the Los Angeles Rams to make a change so suddenly like they did this offseason. Their deal for Matthew Stafford came as a shock to everyone from fans to players in the Rams’ locker room, but it was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.
As a result of their acquisition of Stafford, the Rams improved their quarterback situation significantly heading into 2021. But where does their QB room rank compared to the rest of the NFL?
Mike Jones of USA TODAY ranked every team’s quarterback outlook in tiers ranging from elite to shaky. The Rams didn’t land in the elite group, but they were just below it in the “very good” tier with the Cowboys, Falcons and Titans.
The Matthew Stafford addition should put the Rams back in Super Bowl contention. Sean McVay has an aggressive, talented veteran whom he can count on to take charge rather than freezing up as things break down around him, like Jared Goff tended to do.
The teams in the elite tier are the Chiefs, Bucs, Packers, Seahawks, Ravens and Bills. It’s hard to argue against any of those teams being included in that group. Stafford has a longer track record than Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, but their peaks have been higher than his.
Surprisingly, Goff and the Lions land just one tier below the Rams at “solid” – a group that includes the Patriots, Vikings, Steelers, Raiders, 49ers and Bears. Goff hasn’t played all that well since 2018 and now with a much weaker supporting cast, he’ll have to do more of the heavy lifting.
The Rams are in good shape even if they’re not in the elite tier, they just have to hope Stafford can get over the hump in the playoffs and win his first postseason game.
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