Can RGIII Be The Answer In LA?

Now that the dust has officially settled on the 2015 season, teams are already setting their sights on 2016. In the case of the Los Angeles Rams, many of the questions facing the organization look very familiar to questions faced in previous seasons.  Once again, no question looms as large as the plans for the quarterback position.  With the March 9^th deadline to submit qualifying offers to restricted free agents and exercise options on players that have option clauses in their contracts, might the Rams finally be able to find the answer to their QB question?

Since Sam Bradford’s injury-plagued second season, the Rams have frequently found themselves at the top of many “just a quarterback away from contenting” lists. This has become even more pronounced in recent years as their young, defensive core has matured into one of the most solid units in the NFL.  An inability to sustain drives and put up points in a league that has increasingly stacked the deck in favor of the offense has doomed this team on far too many occasions.

To be fair, not all of the offensive problems facing the Rams can be blamed on the quarterback. The Rams have yet to address their need for a number one receiving option.  Tavon Austin, while an electrifying change of pace and homerun threat, lacks the size to be that consistent red zone or move-the-chains target that every QB needs.  To make matters worse, the injury to Stedman Bailey, the inconsistency of Kenny Britt and the disappearance of Brian Quick after his brief flash pre-injury may have created a Rams wide receiver corps with even bigger question marks now compared to years past.

The uncertainty doesn’t just stop with the wide receivers, however. The offensive line is very young and very inexperienced.  The jump from college to the pros can be extremely difficult for offensive linemen.  Greg Robinson, in particular, has been a prime example of the difficulties of this jump.  Despite having all of the physical tools, he continues to struggle and has some question whether he will ever live up to his lofty draft expectations.

Given the issue both on the offensive line and at the wide receiver position, it is easy to make the argument that the Rams have not created an environment for ANY quarterback to succeed. That being said, a true number one quarterback is expected to elevate the play of those around him.  He is expected to get the most out of those that line up with him on Sunday.  The first half of last season lead many to believe that additional film study is not necessary to determine that Nick Foles is not that guy.  He often looked scared and uneasy in the pocket, resulting in missed throws, failures to make proper reads and an inability to salvage broken plays.

Case Keenum, on the other hand, proved to be exactly what everyone knew him to be: a solid game-manager that can win you a few games under the right circumstances.  What he is not, unfortunately, is a long-term answer at starter.

If the QB of the future is not on the current roster, where do the Rams turn? The obvious first answer is the draft.  In fact, you can find at least one mock draft linking the Rams to each of this year’s top signal callers.  But with a number of teams currently looking at quarterback as a priority, there is a real possibility that QB may no longer be an option when pick fifteen comes up on the board.  Given Jeff Fisher’s emphasis on ball-control offense, the organization may simply make the determination that drafting a signal caller in the first round is simply not the best way to fill the team’s most glaring needs.

To further complicate matters, the move to LA has the potential to create an increased sense of pressure to take the next step. The Rams are in a somewhat unique position in that they have moved to a city where they do have an existing fan base.  But if they want that fan base to grow and fill that fancy new stadium in 2019, they need to start attracting new fans now.  Might there be concern within the organization that the learning curve typically associated with a young QB may prevent the team from taking that next step?  If this is the case, the Rams may instead look to free agency to focus on a veteran player with the potential to step in on day one and bolster the offense.

There are a number of options out there that the team might be able to consider. Ryan Fitzpatrick could be open to a return to the Rams.  Ryan is not flashy and some would argue he is not a great option as a starter, but he has proven he can win games in this league.  The biggest issue with him is that, regardless of how well he might play, he would only be a temporary solution at best.

A number of teams will be eyeing Brock Osweiler very closely this offseason. But it is no secret that Denver is looking to move on from Peyton Manning.  Even if John Elway isn’t totally sold on Brock as the future, he performed well enough that letting him go without having another option in place won’t happen.  Brock performed well enough for the Broncos to give him a longer look, and there is no reason to expect that won’t happen.

Kirk Cousins and Washington find themselves in a similar situation to the one in Denver. With word that the two sides are not expected to reach an agreement on a long-term deal before the deadline, Washington might be forced to consider the franchise tag to keep Cousins in-house.  This price might be a little high for their tastes.  But Washington is unlikely to let him go considering the strides both he and the team made last year.

The fact that Cousins is likely staying in Washington brings another potential QB option from the Nation’s capital to light for Los Angeles. Robert Griffin III.  As he is currently still under contract with Washington, he would not actually be available unless released from his contract, but a release appears to be a foregone conclusion at this stage.  RGIII never played a snap for the Rams, but he still played an integral part in constructing the current roster.  Might he now be able to help the team on the field as well?

Maybe the fact that RGIII would even be considered is less of an endorsement of his ability, and more of an indictment of the Rams’ QB woes in recent years. It can sometimes be easy to think ANY change will be an upgrade.  RGIII is certainly not without faults.   Questions about everything from his maturity to his health and whether he can ever be the player that took the league by storm in his rookie season have followed him since his second year in the league.

The key is that RGIII may not need to be that player from 2012 to succeed in Los Angeles.

Concerns over his maturity may have been put to rest this past season, where he handled losing the starting job as well as can be expected from anyone. He stayed ready and avoided becoming a distraction for his team both on and off the field.

The bigger concerns when it comes to RGIII are between the lines. In his 3 years as a starter, RGIII has yet to play a full season.  Rams fans know all too well how frightening it can be to feel the need to cover your eyes every time the QB takes a hit.  Given his slight frame, it is easy to understand why he hasn’t shown the ability to take a heavy beating week after week.

When RGIII was on the field, his performance appeared to suffer as time went on. He experienced drops in key categories such as TDs and yards passing per game while seeing turnovers increase.  He also appears to have lost that dynamic playmaking ability that resulted in over 800 yards rushing his rookie season.  Pressure to return from injury may have contributed to this decline to some degree, but it is fair to assume with his recent history that RGIII will never be the dual threat he was in 2012.

The key is that RGIII may not need to be that player from 2012 to succeed in Los Angeles. The Rams have made it clear they are not looking for a QB to take over every game.  Fisher is and will continue to be a run-first coach.  But what the Rams do need, and have lacked, is a QB with the ability to carry the offense at times and make plays when things break down.  Someone that can keep drives going and keep the defense off the field.  Despite the injuries, a strong case can certainly be made that RGIII is a real upgrade from an athleticism standpoint.  Fisher cited the importance of athleticism in this system when making the change to Case Keenum last year.

Beyond his physical tools, RGIII has personality and charisma that can really help him flourish in a market like Los Angeles. It is hard to argue that RGIII had his issues dealing with the media scrutiny he faced in D.C.  But the flip side to that whole experience is that he will be better-prepared to deal with the increased attention a move to LA will bring.  He knows what it is like to be under the microscope of the media and, if his last year in D.C. is any indication, he might just have matured enough to handle that scrutiny better.  Nothing earns the fans love like winning and, as much as fans may like to see athletes knocked down when they get too high, those same fans often love to see how those athletes gets back up.  If he comes into LA and helps produce wins, fans will embrace his comeback story.

There is no doubt that pursuing a player like RGIII has plenty of risks. But, in the worst-case scenario, he offers at least a continuation of the current level of production the Rams have seen from the quarterback position.  The difference is that he offers a level of potential that no other quarterback on the Rams roster can match, even with his injury history.  It sounds as though a return home to play for the Cowboys might be his preferred destination.  But just maybe an opportunity to earn a starting job under the bright lights of Los Angeles would be enough to change his mind.