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When the St. Louis Rams made the decision to acquire Nick Foles from the Philadelphia Eagles last month in exchange for oft-injured quarterback Sam Bradford, the immediate thought was that the need at the position was finally filled. On the surface, that train of thought seems just, but when the trade is further examined there is much more to it.
In the deal, the Rams were able to gain nearly $13 million in cap space, along with a couple of draft picks, which puts the Rams back on the path to success. Not only did it open up more financial room to better the team in other areas, particularly the offensive line, it also dumped off a huge financial burden from their shoulders.
In addition, St. Louis added a Pro-Bowl quarterback who is just one year removed from an impressive 2013 campaign, where he threw for 2,891 yards with 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions with a 119.2 passer rating. Although Foles struggled last season and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, the recent trade has still given many Rams fans reason to believe that the team is in better hands with Foles at the helm of the offense.
All that being said, the 2015 season is actually an experiment with Foles as the team’s starting quarterback. This is because he is only under contract through next year and is scheduled to be a free agent in the 2016 offseason.
This leaves the Rams in somewhat of a holding pattern because Foles could possibly not be the team’s quarterback of the future. If he performs well next season, the 26-year-old would enter next offseason looking to land a lucrative long-term contract that could be out of the range that the Rams are willing to pay.
There is also the possibility that Foles doesn’t perform up to the standards that the team expects. This could play him out of the Rams’ favor and have them back in a similar position next offseason: still looking for an answer at quarterback.
So, even though hopes are high for Foles, and even though the Rams did also re-acquire Case Keenum from the Houston Texans last month, it would still be in the team’s best interest to take a quarterback in this year’s draft. It is arguably the most important position, and it has been proven time and time again that a championship can’t be won without a strong quarterback.
This doesn’t mean that the Rams have to make a splashy move by trading up in the draft to nab either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota, but they should take a quarterback that they are comfortable in having as a backup in case things don’t pan out with Foles.
There are plenty of quarterbacks to choose from aside from Winston and Mariota, such as UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson, or Baylor’s Byrce Petty. If the Rams were to snag one of these quarterbacks in the draft, they would merely be prepared for an alternative option if needed.
The bottom line here is that the NFL is a quarterback-driven league and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. If the Rams want to stay with that trend, selecting a quarterback in the upcoming draft is a must.
Source: NFL.com
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When the St. Louis Rams made the decision to acquire Nick Foles from the Philadelphia Eagles last month in exchange for oft-injured quarterback Sam Bradford, the immediate thought was that the need at the position was finally filled. On the surface, that train of thought seems just, but when the trade is further examined there is much more to it.
In the deal, the Rams were able to gain nearly $13 million in cap space, along with a couple of draft picks, which puts the Rams back on the path to success. Not only did it open up more financial room to better the team in other areas, particularly the offensive line, it also dumped off a huge financial burden from their shoulders.
In addition, St. Louis added a Pro-Bowl quarterback who is just one year removed from an impressive 2013 campaign, where he threw for 2,891 yards with 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions with a 119.2 passer rating. Although Foles struggled last season and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, the recent trade has still given many Rams fans reason to believe that the team is in better hands with Foles at the helm of the offense.
All that being said, the 2015 season is actually an experiment with Foles as the team’s starting quarterback. This is because he is only under contract through next year and is scheduled to be a free agent in the 2016 offseason.
This leaves the Rams in somewhat of a holding pattern because Foles could possibly not be the team’s quarterback of the future. If he performs well next season, the 26-year-old would enter next offseason looking to land a lucrative long-term contract that could be out of the range that the Rams are willing to pay.
There is also the possibility that Foles doesn’t perform up to the standards that the team expects. This could play him out of the Rams’ favor and have them back in a similar position next offseason: still looking for an answer at quarterback.
So, even though hopes are high for Foles, and even though the Rams did also re-acquire Case Keenum from the Houston Texans last month, it would still be in the team’s best interest to take a quarterback in this year’s draft. It is arguably the most important position, and it has been proven time and time again that a championship can’t be won without a strong quarterback.
This doesn’t mean that the Rams have to make a splashy move by trading up in the draft to nab either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota, but they should take a quarterback that they are comfortable in having as a backup in case things don’t pan out with Foles.
There are plenty of quarterbacks to choose from aside from Winston and Mariota, such as UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson, or Baylor’s Byrce Petty. If the Rams were to snag one of these quarterbacks in the draft, they would merely be prepared for an alternative option if needed.
The bottom line here is that the NFL is a quarterback-driven league and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. If the Rams want to stay with that trend, selecting a quarterback in the upcoming draft is a must.
Source: NFL.com
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