Los Angeles Rams Offseason Report 1 - Quarterbacks

By Lewis Perry

Welcome to the offseason everyone! It was a season full of ups and downs that flew by quicker than any of us could imagine, but now it’s time to look forward to next season and all the potential moves that the Rams front office can make to help us make another Super Bowl. I’ll be writing reports on every position, going through our current depth chart and then exploring the free agency market and potential draftees that the Rams could target in order to strengthen the position. I will try to go through as many of the free agents and draftees as I can and then pick out my favourites from the groups and which I would like to see the Rams show an interest in. Without further ado, let’s have a look at the quarterback position.

Current state of the Rams’ QB position

As it stands right now, the Rams only have two quarterbacks under contract for the 2025 season: Matthew Stafford and Stetson Bennett. They have recently agreed to terms with Stafford to give him more guaranteed money and keep him with the Rams and away from the Raiders and Giants who were showing a lot of interest in trading for the Rams QB1. I’m not sure how much longer Stafford will play for in the NFL, but hopefully he’ll play for the Rams for at least two more years and potentially help develop a young quarterback for a year or two before they take over the Rams offense.

I think there is potential for the Rams to draft a young QB this year to sit behind Stafford for a year or two and learn from his vast experience and compete with Stetson Bennett for QB2 who hasn’t been able to showcase his ability much to this point. There are a bunch of QBs behind Cam Ward and Shadeur Sanders that have the potential to grow in to capable NFL starting quarterbacks but we’ll have a look at them later in this report. 

However, McVay and Co have opted for more experienced backup QBs in the last two years (Wentz and Garoppolo) after Brett Rypien’s underwhelming display against the Packers in 2023. They could dip in to the free agency market again to ensure they have competent play in the chance that Stafford goes down injured. The quarterback free agency market is pretty thin this year in terms of starting quarterbacks but there are plenty of options available for high quality backups. 

Potential Free Agent targets

I have selected 6 free agent quarterbacks the Rams could target for differing reasons. They have all started a number of NFL games and either shown some flashes of talent and a high ceiling that may not have been reached yet or have had experience of success in the league in the past but a little past their best.

Sam Darnold – Minnesota Vikings: Former Rams offensive co-ordinator, Kevin O’Connell, rejuvenated Sam Darnold who had fallen from grace after being picked at number 3 in the 2018 draft by the Jets. This was by far his best season in the NFL so far beating his previous best by over 1000 passing yards and 16 touchdowns. He has always been a very good quarterback when protected, something that McVay had to get used to with Jared Goff, so many believe this season wasn’t just a one-off. As those who watched the Rams-Vikings playoff game know, he doesn’t have good pocket presence and takes plenty of unneeded sacks which puts his team behind the sticks. His footballing IQ and accuracy with the football could be effective under McVay, however if we were to go after Sam Darnold, this would most likely mean moving on from Stafford as his contract will be expensive compared to other options.

Zach Wilson – Denver Broncos: Wilson has probably been the least impressive out of these six in his NFL career so far but there is definitely ability and talent there to unlock. His career TD:INT ratio is a worrying 23:25 but the Jets were one of, if not the worst team in the NFL during his time there and he had very little around him to help him succeed. He has familiarity with the Rams’ current OC, Mike LaFleur, and with a solid O line and higher level weapons around him, McVay could find Wilson’s true potential in the NFL.

Justin Fields – Pittsburgh Steelers: Many thought that the benching of Justin Fields after a 4-2 start to the season was very harsh as he was playing some of the best football of his young NFL career. He only threw one interception in those games and had a career high 93.3 passer rating while also being as dangerous as ever on the ground (5 passing and 5 rushing TD’s). Wentz was the first semi-mobile quarterback that McVay has ever had and he made the most of it with 17 rushes including one touchdown in just one start for the Rams, which means that he could have even more fun with Fields who is mightily more effective on the ground than Wentz. Still only 25, Fields offers a lot of upside as both a backup and potential future starter.

Daniel Jones – Minnesota Vikings: Jones has had a strange NFL career. He started for 6 seasons for the Giants taking them to the playoffs in 2022 and beating the Vikings in the Wildcard round. That year, he threw for 3205 yards, 15 TD’s and 5 picks while also showing off his ability to use his legs with 708 rushing yards. Not being so reliant on his arm and footballing IQ led to much higher levels of play from Jones and he looked like a solid starting NFL QB. But he went on to throw 13 picks in 16 starts over the next two years with a record of 3-13 combined, leading to his release in 2024. I’m not sure he’ll ever be relied upon to lead a franchise ever again, but he can be a solid backup QB if needed to lead an offense while QB1 is out.

Jimmy Garoppolo – Los Angeles Rams: McVay recently said in an interview that he’d love to have Jimmy G back in horns and the Rams have always opted to have an experienced backup quarterback so I’d put a lot of money on them re-signing Garoppolo. He has familiarity with the system now and will also be relatively cheap unless a team wants to take a huge risk and see if he’s good enough to start for them. In his only game as a Ram, he was 27/41 for 334 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 pick – all while playing with second and third stringers. It was an impressive showing and might’ve just done enough for him to get re-signed on a one year contract in his age 34 year.

Aaron Rodgers – New York Jets: At already 41 years of age, Rodgers will only offer a short term solution to the Rams QB room if they were to go down that route. He didn’t necessarily play badly last year, throwing for 3,897 yards with 28 TDs and 11 picks. Coming off a bad achilles tear, he grew in to the year after a tough start and showed he can still be a starting QB in the league. Obviously he’s not the same Aaron Rodgers from the past, but he can be an effective bridge QB on a cheap deal. However, now Stafford has been re-signed, this is incredibly unlikely as Rodgers would have to settle for a backup role for not much money, something I see as almost impossible as he would just retire instead.

Other potential free agent QB’s: Jacoby Brissett, Russell Wilson, Trey Lance, Drew Lock, Jameis Winston, Mac Jones, Taylor Heinicke, Cooper Rush, Carson Wentz, Josh Dobbs, Desmond Ridder, Bailey Zappe and Mason Rudolph.

2025 NFL Draft QBs

Cam Ward (Miami): 6”2, 223lbs, PFF Rank 17, PFN Rank 5

Cam Ward is known for looking nonchalant and poised while making extraordinary plays with his arm and extending plays with his elusiveness. He is predicted to go in the top 5 of the draft so realistically the only chance that the Rams get hold of Ward is through a blockbuster trade and they don’t necessarily have the draft capital to pull that off.

Shadeur Sanders (Colorado): 6”2, 216lbs, PFF Rank 42, PFN Rank 2. 

Sanders was clutch for Colorado in his final college season. He showed the ability to consistently hit his receivers with accuracy and showing flashes of athleticism with his legs. His downfall comes when he faces pressure and he gets a little frantic with his footwork and occasionally runs in to sacks. He will need a good O-line to build his confidence and have early NFL success unlike last years number 1 pick, Caleb Williams, who was sacked a massive 68 times which is the third most in a season all time. Both players were able to make heroic plays with their legs extending plays at times in college but the NFL is another level where defences are stacked and relentless. There are rumours that Sanders could slide in the first round, and the Rams have met with him at the combine so if he was to start sliding, don’t be surprised if the Rams enquired about trading up for him.

Jalen Milroe (Alabama): 6”2, 220lbs, PFF Rank 96, PFN Rank 41. 

Milroe possesses the characteristics of a quarterback who can have a very high ceiling in the NFL, but also a fairly low floor. He’s very athletic and more than capable of using his legs to extend plays or scramble when a play breaks down. He also has a very strong arm to launch deep balls or fire balls in to tight windows. However, he has trouble processing defences and coverages and occasionally doesn’t go through all of his reads especially if he senses any sort of pressure. His pocket presence isn’t great which doesn’t pair well with his poor patience and can lead to carelessness with the ball. Milroe will need a lot of coaching for him to reach his potential but the physical tools are there.

Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss): 6”2, 220lbs, PFF Rank 118, PFN Rank 53. 

Dart is an intriguing prospect that splits opinion with people around the NFL. He led Ole Miss to an impressive season, finishing 10-3 and winning the Gator Bowl. They even beat Georgia 28-10 where Dart through for 199 yards and ran for 50 yards. He has the ability to hurt teams with both his arm and legs and his pocket presence is quite impressive as he’s able to avoid rushers and extend plays. He also has excellent touch on his passes especially on deep balls. However, there is concern about his ability to read defences. Ole Miss is known for running a QB-friendly offense, similar to that of the San Francisco 49ers where they prioritise getting the first read open and getting the ball in to their playmakers hands quickly. Many people don’t believe we’ve seen Dart be properly tested and the jump to the NFL will be extremely challenging. However, some believe that we’ve not even seen the best of Dart as he could be unleashed in a more advanced offense where he can show off his skills more.

Quinn Ewers (Texas): 6”2, 209lbs, PFF Rank 132, PFN Rank 95. 

Ewers had an excellent final campaign at Texas, leading them to just a game short of the National Championship. The Longhorns finished as the 3rd ranked team in College Football with a total 13-3 record with two of those losses against 2nd ranked Georgia. Ewers himself had 3,472 yards passing with 31 TDs and 12 picks. He has always had very good accuracy when throwing the ball and shown that he is more than capable of managing games, leading his offense and reading defences. The worry with Ewers is the height of his ceiling. He has always been good, but hasn’t ever really shown any elite talent. His arm is average so struggles to push the ball downfield at times and his feet can get a little frantic in the pocket which hinders his arm strength even more. While he does show some mobility to extend plays, he has never set the stat sheet alight with his rushing stats.

Dillon Gabriel (Oregon): 6”0, 200lbs, PFF Rank 72, PFN Rank 129. 

Gabriel led the Oregon Ducks to an unbeaten regular season but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Ohio State. He has played College Football for 6 years so has vast experience compared to other potential draftees but this does mean he is older than other QBs. He is small at 6”0 but makes up for it with his athleticism having had a rush for at least 44 yards every season for the last 4 years. He never relies on his legs but he has the ability there for when he needs it. His arm isn’t great but has above average accuracy and ball placement, minimising turnovers. He hasn’t thrown for more than 6 picks in any of his last 5 years playing college football.

Will Howard (Ohio State): 6”4, 236lbs, PFF Rank 100, PFN Rank 99. 

Howard transferred from Kansas State to Ohio State last year and won the National Championship in his first and only year with the Buckeyes. He beat his previous best stats by nearly 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is reliably mobile when needed and the experience he has gained from 5 years in college puts him in good stead for early NFL success. While he’s not elite at one particular thing, he is good at most things he does. He possesses good ball placement but sometimes can misread defences or throw risky balls that get picked off – resulting in 20 interceptions over his last two years which will be the main concern for those in the NFL. However, he has great touch when either going deep or fitting throws between levels of defenders. He did have a poor combine showing, missing receivers with relatively simple throws or getting the timing wrong.

Kyle McCord (Syracuse): 6”3, 220lbs, PFF Rank 153, PFN Rank 143. 

McCord has only started two years in the league but this year he exploded after moving to Syracuse from Ohio State so he’s still a little raw. He threw for over 4,700 yards in a 10-3 season showing off his skills as a passer. He is a classic pocket passer who struggles when facing pressure as he doesn’t have the ability to extend plays with his legs. He has shown good accuracy and touch on his passes but can sometimes get caught staring down his receivers and allowing the defence to read his eyes and make plays on the ball – this led to 12 interceptions this year.

Kurtis Rourke (Indiana): 6”5, 223lbs, PFF Rank 174, PFN Rank 197. 

Rourke has been a starter for four years but finally started winning once he transferred to Indiana last year. He guided them to the playoffs and lost in the first round to eventual national championship losers Notre Dame. They scored over 30 points in all but one regular season game and Rourke was a pivotal part of that. He has excellent size at 6”5 and is a natural pocket passer. He has great football IQ and makes nice reads but sometimes his arm strength and agility can let him down and leave big plays out on the field.

Riley Leonard (Notre Dame): 6”4, 216lbs, PFF Rank 108, PFN Rank 245.

Leonard transferred to Notre Dame last year and took them to the National Championship in his final year of college football. He is a mobile dual-threat quarterback who never threw for more than 3,000 yards but did rush for over 900 yards this year including 17 rushing touchdowns. Although he is mobile, his pocket presence needs work as he often doesn’t diagnose pressure well and takes unnecessary sacks. He does have good arm talent though that means he can power balls down field and in to tight windows.

Tyler Shough (Louisville): 6”5, 225lbs, PFF Rank 207, PFN Rank 259. 

Shough is a sleeper pick in the draft who has started to rise up boards after his performance in the Senior Bowl. He has great size at 6”5 and 225lbs but has had horrid luck with injuries all throughout his college career. This year was his first full year as a starting quarterback and he impressed at Louisville with his improvisation and athleticism. He excels in the play action game, especially when he’s on the move and uses great arm strength to fire it in to his receivers. He could be a late round gem in the draft if he can live up to his potential, but his injury record has held him back and worries those around the NFL as it could continue to damage his career in the future as well as him being a little raw and needing some coaching.

My thoughts on what the Rams are going to do

The Rams are in prime position to contend for another Super Bowl now that they have secured Matthew Stafford as QB1 for at least a little longer but need to ensure they have security with solid backup quarterbacks.

In terms of QB2, I think the Rams will play it safe and re-sign Jimmy Garoppolo. If they are going for a Super Bowl run again, they need insurance that they have a capable QB behind Stafford to be able to take the reins in the chance of injury. We have not seen enough of Stetson Bennett to be able to confidently say that he’s a capable backup, and it may be too big of a risk to draft a QB in the mid to late rounds and have to rely on them if they are needed to help the Rams win.

The only chance that I think the Rams go against this thinking is if they REALLY like a QB in the draft that they believe can be a capable backup now, and then take over from Stafford if he retires after this season. The prime candidate for this would be Jaxson Dart who would benefit so much from a year behind Stafford learning from him, setting him up to take over the offense in 2026.

Unfortunately, I do think this is unlikely as the Rams want to win now and have much more important needs on the roster that they could address in the first/second round which is where Dart is projected to go. Knowing McVay’s love of offense, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him target a TE – after his reported interest in trading up for Brock Bowers last year – or a WR2 – due to reports of the Rams shopping Cooper Kupp. Matthew Golden and Emeka Egbuka have been wide receivers linked to the Rams in the first round of the draft who can compliment Puka Nacua well. They have also been linked to Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland who are the top 2 tight ends in the draft and the Rams met with both of them at the combine.

Let’s hope that Stafford can maintain his elite level of quarterback play and guide the Rams to a second Super Bowl title in four years while having insurance in the short and long term that we have reliable backup quarterbacks.