Quarterback isn’t a position of need for the Rams. Not with Matthew Stafford under contract through the 2026 season. He’ll most likely be their starter for the next five years, and possibly beyond that if he wants to play into his late-30s and early-40s.
But the backup quarterback spot isn’t one the Rams have invested much into. They have two undrafted rookies backing up Stafford, adding John Wolford and Bryce Perkins in the last few years.
If they’re not confident in either player’s ability to step in should Stafford go down, they should explore other options. Granted, there’s nothing to suggest they aren’t confident in Wolford, seeing the way he played briefly in place of Jared Goff in 2020, but they’ve also kept Perkins around as insurance.
P.J. Walker could be a solid player to add to the backup quarterback competition this summer. After the Panthers acquired Baker Mayfield, they could see Walker as expendable, since Sam Darnold is also on the roster. Walker is also a former undrafted free agent, spending three years with the Colts from 2017-2019 before making a name for himself in the XFL with the Houston Roughnecks in 2020. That landed him an opportunity with the Panthers the last two years, making two starts but throwing just two touchdowns and eight interceptions.
The book isn’t shut on Walker’s NFL prospects, though. He’s an athletic quarterback who showed promise in college and the XFL. And Justin Melo of The Draft Network sees the Rams as a team that should consider trading for him, noting his ties to Rams offensive assistant Jake Peetz, who was Walker’s quarterbacks coach in 2020.
Here’s part of what Melo wrote.
The Los Angeles Rams may feature the most concerning situation at backup quarterback across the entire league. Rams General Manager Les Snead rosters John Wolford and Bryce Perkins behind starter Matthew Stafford. Wolford has 42 career passing attempts under his belt, two of which were intercepted (he’s never thrown a regular-season touchdown). In 2021, Wolford went 1-of-4 with one turnover. Perkins has never attempted an official NFL pass after entering the league as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft. Perkins had an up-and-down college career while playing for three different programs (Arizona State, Arizona Western, and Virginia).
Acquiring Walker wouldn’t require anything more than a seventh-round pick, and the Rams could probably even get away with making it a seventh-rounder several years down the line. Or, they could wait things out and hope the Panthers cut Walker before the season begins and attempt to snag him off the waiver wire.
In all likelihood, the Rams are going to roll with Wolford and Perkins behind Stafford. But Walker fits the mold of an athletic, mobile backup quarterback that Sean McVay has an appreciation for.
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