Is there a quarterback in the future for the 2016 St. Louis Rams
Nov 15, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) is sacked by Chicago Bears linebacker Lamarr Houston (99) and outside linebacker Sam Acho (49) during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. Chicago defeated St. Louis 37-13. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
2015 was supposed to be the year of the Ram. The St. Louis Rams were finally ready to compete for a wild card post. Some even thought they had a real shot at competing for a division crown. The team heard the calls and went out and traded former first-overall selection and starting quarterback Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles for Nick Foles. The two teams added in some draft picks and they called it a deal. Now, both are struggling to put the pieces of a promising season back together.
Monday, the Rams benched Foles for backup quarterback Case Keenum. Keenum was another offseason acquisition for St. Louis. Keenum came at a much lower price than Foles, just a seventh-round draft pick in 2016. Oddly enough, the new sof Keenum taking over as the starter came at about the same time news broke that Bradford would miss time in Philadelphia due to a shoulder injury.
Based on Foles numbers, it’s tough to make the argument to leave him in as the starter. His passing yard total ranks last in the league. In his last 16 starts, he’s 9-7, but has completed just 58.2 percent of his passes with 15 interceptions in that time. His passer rating of 78.2 and QBR of 51.1 in those games are numbers you’d expect to see from a backup, not the man you just gave a new 3-year/ $24 million contract.
All of this leaves one to face the tough question, should the Rams look to draft a quarterback in the early rounds of the 2016 draft? St. Louis did just that this year when they drafted quarterback Sean Mannion out of Oklahoma State in the third-round. The pool of NFL caliber quarterbacks is projected to be quite small in 2016. The Rams are also one of many teams that could be on the hunt for their new man under center. The Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills all project to be in the market for a new QB.
Next: On to the prospects