Backup QB John Wolford to play Cowboys’ Dak Prescott in practice for Rams

Fast and nimble, Los Angeles Rams quarterback John Wolford was one of the most impressive players during training camp.

“I feel ready,” Wolford said. “I’m confident in my abilities, and confident in my ability to run this offense. It’s something I prepped for my entire life. I’ve played a lot of football, between college and the AAF (Alliance of American Football), and this is kind of the next step.”

Of course, the Rams already have a franchise quarterback in Jared Goff, but the Wolford will still get a chance to put his skills to work this week, running the scout team in practice and impersonating Dallas Cowboys agile quarterback Dak Prescott.

“John has established himself as a clear-cut guy, that we feel confident in behind Jared,” Rams head coach John McVay said. “The most important thing is be ready to roll in a tough situation -- if that occurs. But he will definitely be a part of that ‘looks squad’, when we end up having our defense and being able to give them a look.”

Wolford signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted rookie out of Wake Forest in 2018 but was released during final roster cuts.

He later signed with Alliance of American Football’s Arizona Hotshots in 2019, completing 130 of 206 passes for 1,617 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 95.9 passer rating.

The Rams signed Wolford last year as a free agent, and he spent the entire season on the practice squad with Blake Bortles serving as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart behind Goff.

At 6-1 and 200 pounds, the 24-year-old Wolford said he ran a 4.69-second, 40-yard time out of college, and feels like he’s gotten even faster in the NFL.

McVay described Wolford as making some Doug Flutie-like plays during the Rams’ scrimmages at SoFi Stadium last month.

Wolford likens his game to Russell Wilson and Drew Brees, two shorter NFL quarterbacks he tried to emulate growing up in Jacksonville, Fla., learning the position.

“John Wolford has been a guy that we’ve had a lot of confidence in over the last couple of years,” McVay said. “I would have had no problem with him playing in a game last year, either. We just happened to have a guy that had started and played a handful of games in Blake Bortles.

“So, this was always our plan all along. It is really a reflection in the confidence in John Wolford as much as anything. I think if you asked any of our players, they would share in that confidence that we have in him.”

The Rams will use Wolford to mimic the scrambling ability and second-reaction throws that have become a staple of Prescott’s tool set.

Per Next Gen Stats, only Lamar Jackson (1,901), Cam Newton (1,599), Russell Wilson (1,563) and Deshaun Watson (1,233) have more rushing yards than Prescott (1,221) since the 2016 season.

Prescott had an easy day at the office in the Cowboys 44-21 rout over the Rams last season, finishing 15 of 23 for 212 passing yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Prescott was not sacked, posting a 123.8 passer rating.

The Rams have learned a new scheme under the tutelage of new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. So part of the challenge for this year’s defense will be playing assignment correct football and not letting Prescott beat them by buying time and creating explosive plays down the field for Dallas speedy receivers like Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.

“Just having a new coach is always tough,” Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers said. “You’re learning new calls, different verbiage and stuff like that. So I think early on the communication between the players is a really big issue.”