Examining best way to improve Rams' quarterback situation
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...est-way-to-improve-rams-quarterback-situation
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The offseason is here for the Los Angeles Rams and now that we know where they'll be playing their home games for the long term, things have settled down enough to spend our weekends answering a few of your Twitter questions.
As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner and fire away with any Rams-related questions you might have. Please use hashtag #RamsMail so I can see them.
On to your questions.
Mike Mulia @MikeMulia1
@nwagoner What do you think is the best/most realistic way the Rams can "fix" their QB situation? The draft, free agency, trade? #RamsMail
@nwagoner: You phrased this question well, Mike. Because if we are looking at it realistically, the best way to fix the quarterback situation isn't necessarily going to guarantee improvement. Looking at the draft, there are some intriguing prospects such as Cal's Jared Goff, Memphis' Paxton Lynch and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, but the early indication is that none of them are guaranteed to come in and have success in Year 1. And that's even assuming the Rams would have the chance to draft one of them with their No. 15 overall pick. The trade market probably won't offer much since teams are never in a mood to trade good quarterbacks. Which leaves us with free agency, the area the Rams might have to explore the deepest to try to find a solution. The problem, again, is that if a team has a good quarterback, it probably isn't going to let him leave. Some of the names that could hit the market include Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brock Osweiler, Matt Cassel, Kirk Cousins, Chase Daniel and Sam Bradford. Of that group, it's unlikely Fitzpatrick, Osweiler, Cousins or Bradford will get the chance to explore the market, though it's possible one or two could shake loose. It's also possible players such as Robert Griffin III and/or Johnny Manziel could become available, and it's fair to expect the Rams to take a long look at them if they do.
The other part of the equation for the Rams is that they have three quarterbacks on the roster in Case Keenum (who will likely be retained as a restricted free agent), Nick Foles and Sean Mannion. Logic says Foles is the one that would have to go to make room for a new addition but to do that, the Rams have to be certain they have an upgrade. There's no obvious solution here unless the Rams want to make a bold move via trade and even then, it would be a roll of the dice. It wouldn't surprise if Keenum ends up as the starter again when all is said and done.
Blaine Grisak @bxgrisak1993
@nwagoner do you think the Rams would have interest in a QB at 15 if Goff or Lynch were available?
@nwagoner: We'll go ahead and just make this the quarterback mailbag for this week. It's too early to have a read on who they might or might not covet, but there have been indications from the team that they'll explore any and all options to improve their short- and long-term situation at the position. That would presumably include taking a quarterback with the 15th pick. As I mentioned above, depending on who you talk to, it doesn't seem like there's a signal-caller in this draft who can come in and star right away. That also doesn't mean a guy such as Goff, Lynch or Wentz wouldn't be an improvement over what the Rams currently have. That's something they'd have to weigh in the evaluation because, let's be honest, if those guys were legitimate franchise quarterbacks they'd be gone before No. 15. That doesn't mean they can't become one, just that it's unusual (though not impossible) for that type of guy to go at that point. There's a long way to go before the draft so we'll get a better idea of how the league views this crop of quarterbacks in the coming months.