L.A. Rams position outlook 2021: Quarterbacks
The Los Angeles Rams executed a blockbuster trade to secure the services of Matthew Stafford, moving on from Jared Goff. But are they better at the quarterback position moving forward? Most NFL observers would argue the answer to that question is yes. We begin our offseason look at each position group with the most important one of the field -- the quarterback position.
Locks: Matthew Stafford, John Wolford
On the bubble: Bryce Perkins, Devlin “Duck” Hodges
Free agents: Blake Bortles
The good: Stafford, 33, has been healthy for the most part and provides an upgrade from Goff in his ability to take care of the football (Average of eight interceptions a year for the last three seasons) and push the ball down the field (Nine air yards per attempt, per Next Gen Stats). What remains to be seen is how having an arm talent like Stafford will change the way Sean McVay executes his offense. The hope if you are a Rams fan is L.A.’s offense goes through a similar transformation as Green Bay accomplished with Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers. And at the end of that journey is some postseason wins and a Super Bowl appearance. John Wolford gives Los Angeles good developmental prospect at the No. 2 spot with some upside, which he demonstrated in two game appearances last season. Perkins and Hodges will battle it out for the No. 3 spot.
The bad: The next playoff game Stafford wins will be his first. He’s 0-3 in playoff appearances during his 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions. Stafford was 7-13 against the Packers – the best team in the NFC North during his time with the Lions. There’s no guarantee the transition for Stafford in Los Angeles is a smooth one, and there could be some bumps in the road early on as he adapts to McVay’s offense. As I wrote about earlier, the Rams still need to add pieces on offense to take advantage of Stafford’s unique skill set.
The money: While they gave up a lot to get rid of the albatross of Goff’s contract, the Rams have Stafford at a reasonable, two-year, $43 million remaining on his current deal. Stafford is scheduled to make $20 million in total compensation in 2021. Wolford is scheduled to make $780,000 in base salary for the upcoming season. Hodges is slated to make $850,000 in base salary in 2021 and Perkins is scheduled to make the same base salary as Wolford of $780,000.
Draft priority: The Rams have no first-round selection and just a projected six picks overall if you include potential compensatory selections in the upcoming draft. Los Angeles will have plenty of holes to fill on other spots of the roster due to players they could lose in free agency like safety John Johnson III and Leonard Floyd, and they have a good developmental prospect already on the roster in Wolford. So, it would be a surprise for the Rams to select a quarterback in this year’s draft, unless there’s a talented player that they have highly evaluated sitting on the board when they are ready to pick.
