John Wolford provides playmaker at QB for Rams if Jared Goff can’t play

The uncertainty of Jared Goff’s availability for an important, last game of the season with playoff implications for the Los Angeles Rams has NFL observers turning their attention to backup quarterback John Wolford.

Goff suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand in the third quarter when he clanged it on the helmet of Seattle Seahawks defensive end Benson Mayowa in a 20-9 road loss Sunday. Goff popped his thumb back in place and remained in the game.

According to reports, the Rams fear that Goff has a broken thumb, which could cause him to miss his team's season finale against the Arizona Cardinals. Goff has not missed a game due to injury in his five-year, NFL career.

One of the question marks for the Rams heading into the regular season was the team’s depth at quarterback. Both Wolford and third-string quarterback Bryce Perkins, an undrafted rookie out of Virginia, have never taken a snap in the regular season. Perkins is currently on the practice squad.

However, Wolford, in his second year with the team, did show some playmaking ability in two scrimmages held before the season started. Wolford had a 40-yard scramble and threw a handful of touchdown passes in the scrimmages.

“I feel ready,” Wolford said about playing in the NFL before the season started. “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.”

Wolford has been responsible for serving as the scout-squad quarterback during the week, preparing L.A.’s talented defense for the upcoming opponent

“Although he hasn’t gotten any live action in games, I do have a lot of confidence in John and his preparation level,” Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell recently said. “The consistency at which he approaches his role, both obviously backing up Jared, but also servicing one of the best defenses in the league every day.

“The way we practice, it really gave him an opportunity to play against a really good defense and have some competitive reps. The defensive coaches let him run plays freely, so he can read things out and throw completions if they’re there. So, it’s been a good challenge for him.”

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 25-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 back in August.

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 about Wolford earlier this year. “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.”