Should Rams Pick Matthew Stafford's Successor? NFL Draft Expert Weighs In
While C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans is electrifying the NFL during his rookie season, two of the remaining eight quarterbacks in the playoffs sat for extended periods of time behind veterans before getting their chance to start.
Could Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay attempt to follow a similar path with their next quarterback?
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Lamar Jackson didn't replace Joe Flacco as the starter for the Baltimore Ravens until late in his rookie season, but the soon-to-be two-time NFL MVP didn't have a redshirt rookie season.
However, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs backed up Alex Smith in his rookie season, and, of course, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love sat behind future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers for three years.
Not being immediately thrown into the fire -- despite being first-round picks -- seems to have benefitted both Mahomes and Love.
With that in mind, NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah -- appearing on "The Rich Eisen Show" Tuesday -- suggested that some teams may try to copy what's worked for the Chiefs and Packers, and not immediately rush quarterbacks into the starting lineup.
Jeremiah pointed to the Rams as a team that it could make sense to draft their next quarterback this spring, knowing he wouldn't have to play in 2024.
"...Maybe if you're the Rams and you think Matthew Stafford can roll for another two years and play at an elite level, maybe they sit there and go 'You know what? We're gonna take a quarterback here with a first-round pick -- something we've never had before -- and let him sit and learn behind Matthew Stafford for a couple years.' Maybe we're going to see some teams try to use this approach, because those are two good examples of it working pretty darn well."
On one hand, Stafford was throwing lasers around the field in a 24-23 loss to the Detroit Lions, looking very much like a quarterback that's still capable of leading his team to a Super Bowl title.
The Rams have a first-round pick for the first time since 2016, and that selection could be used to help the trio of Stafford, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and receiver Cooper Kupp to win a second title together.
On the other hand, Stafford took a beating during 12 seasons playing for the Lions, was limited to nine games in 2022 and seemingly suffered a season's worth of injuries in Sunday's postseason game alone.
Stafford's arm is probably going to remain elite for a long time, but it would probably be unrealistic to think that the soon-to-be 36-year-old is going to play into his 40s.
There's something to be said for another Super Bowl window opening up and trying to maximize it by using the No. 19 overall pick on a cornerback or edge rusher.
But if the Rams believe that any of Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix or J.J. McCarthy are capable of developing into star quarterbacks, it would be hard to fault them for picking one of the second-tier prospects at the position if they fall into their range.
Snead and McVay have been so good at drafting that they could take a quarterback in the first round, and still use later picks to add more stars to a roster seemingly ready to make a deep playoff run in 2024.
