Tag: rams quarterback

9 potential QB options for Rams if they move on from Jared Goff

The Rams could trade Jared Goff this offseason, so here are nine potential replacements at quarterback.

It’s become very clear in the last two weeks that the Los Angeles Rams aren’t sold on Jared Goff as their starting quarterback. Neither Sean McVay nor Les Snead would commit to him even being on the roster in 2021, saying he’s the quarterback “right now” and “at this moment.”

So with uncertainty abound in Los Angeles, it’s a good time to look at some possible options for the Rams at quarterback moving forward. Not all of these nine players will be upgrades over Goff, and not all of them would be easy for the Rams to land.

But they are, nonetheless, possible targets. Here are nine quarterbacks the Rams could look at in the draft, free agency and on the trade market this offseason.

Sean McVay not revealing starting QB but Jared Goff seems to be likely choice

John Wolford has yet to practice this week, while Jared Goff hasn’t been limited.

For the second week in a row, Sean McVay essentially declined to answer any questions about the Rams’ quarterback situation. With Jared Goff and John Wolford both banged up, it’s unclear who will get the start against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday afternoon.

McVay is trying to keep the decision under wraps by not revealing his choice in the week leading up to the game, but what speaks louder than his words is the injury report. John Wolford was listed as a non-participant on both Tuesday and Wednesday, while Goff was a full participant both days.

Wolford is dealing with a stinger and although he did some work on the side Wednesday, he didn’t take any reps in practice.

“John did a couple of things, but he was a non-participant at practice. So, we’re taking it a day at a time with him as well,” McVay said.

After previously saying that Cooper Kupp could play against the Packers without practicing at all, he wouldn’t say the same about Wolford.

“We’re just going to take it a day at a time right now,” he said.

Last week, it was reported that Wolford got the majority of the reps in practice before ultimately earning the start in Seattle. Goff even said he only threw to receivers last week and didn’t go up against the defense.

He was still thrust onto the field when Wolford went down, but the plan was for Wolford to play the whole game. Now that the roles are flipped, with Goff taking every rep in practice, it’s presumed that he’ll be the one starting against the Packers.

Not to mention, he named Wolford the starter early last week, not even giving Goff a chance to prove he was healthy enough late in the week to earn the start. Why would that be any different this week? Preparation is important in the playoffs and it’s highly unlikely Wolford would start with no more than one practice under his belt.

“I think it’s really, for a talkative guy just saying, ‘We’ll take it a day at a time’ and that’s what I’m sticking to,” he said of whether the situation is tough to navigate. “It’s not hard behind the scenes because you communicate to your players. But I don’t think it does us any benefit making those announcements right now, whether we know or whether we don’t know what that scenario is. It’s the first time, but you get a little bit shorter answers from me than you’re accustomed to, I guess.”

McVay said Goff has “done a really nice job” in practice and is “definitely making very good progress” in all settings of practice – both individual drills and team situations. Wolford is falling behind due to his stinger and unless McVay really feels strongly about starting him despite missing a lot of practice time, it’s almost certain to be Goff taking the field first on Saturday.

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Jared Goff against middle-of-the-field open coverages: A struggle story

Touchdown Wire puts Rams quarterback Jared Goff under the microscope against a coverage that has given him fits over the years.

The Los Angeles Rams might be one of the top contenders in a crowded NFC field. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has built a modern defense capable of stopping the run up front and locking down the passing game with a talented secondary. But there are few teams right now without questions marks, and for those who doubt the Rams, quarterback Jared Goff is the reason why.

When Goff is confident in what he is seeing from the pocket and making throws on time and in rhythm, the Rams offense can score points in bunches. But when the picture gets muddied for him, that is when the offense can struggle. Interestingly enough, that picture seems to muddy the most when the middle is open between the safeties. Goff has throws eight interceptions this season, five of which have come against coverages in that family: Cover 2, Cover 4, Cover 6.

In this video breakdown we’ll look at some examples, highlight the reasons why, and illustrate how this is not a new phenomenon from Goff:

Assumption and hesitation can be two problems for a quarterback, and those issues show up on these interceptions. As you can see, this is not new, as it dates back to the Rams’ previous run to a Super Bowl. If they are going to get back to the big game, they might need more consistency from Goff against these coverages.

Rams comfortable with John Wolford as QB2 but still looking to upgrade

The Rams would be perfectly fine with John Wolford as their backup QB heading into the season.

One position that hasn’t gotten much attention for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason is backup quarterback. Jared Goff is the unquestioned starter, but Blake Bortles is still a free agent and John Wolford is the only other quarterback on the roster.

The Rams could’ve gone out and added someone like Colt McCoy to back Goff up, and they could still re-sign Bortles, but they’ve made no such moves. And while there’s a long way to go before the season begins, their inactivity on the quarterback front is a vote of confidence for Wolford.

Sean McVay said Tuesday on a conference call that the Rams are still looking to upgrade their quarterback room, but they’re more than comfortable with Wolford as the No. 2 guy.

“I think you’re always looking to upgrade that position, but John Wolford is a guy that we’re very excited about. We feel like he is more than capable of continuing to ascend and develop. I think his skill set and just the way that he’s wired above the neck are great traits and things that we look for from that quarterback position,” McVay said. “I think what’s just as important is the rapport that he has with Jared because it starts with Jared and then making sure that there’s a good comfortable relationship with whoever that person is as the backup.

“You never know exactly how this thing sorts itself out, but if you said, ‘We’re going into a season and John Wolford is your backup, and God forbid something happens to Jared, do you think he can come in operate and have you function as an offense?’ The answer is absolutely.”

Wolford has very limited experience in the NFL with last season being his first. He spent some time in the AAF and looked good against lesser competition, but his reps against NFL-level talent is minimal.

Last preseason, he attempted 44 passes across four games, completing 25 of them (56.8%) with three touchdowns. His mobility and playmaking ability off-script is impressive, though, which allows him to succeed when a play breaks down.

He certainly won’t be crowned the backup right now and the Rams still have a lot of time to add some competition, potentially this weekend in the draft. They probably won’t draft one earlier than the fourth round, but don’t be surprised if they use their sixth- or seventh-rounder on a QB.