Los Angeles Rams should consider all options at backup quarterback besides Sean Mannion

Sean Mannion has been the backup quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams for the last three years, but that could change in 2018.

Sean Mannion has held the clipboard for the Los Angeles Rams for a few years now, but now he has competition in training camp to keep his position. Mannion has started in just one game in those three years.

That game came last year in Week 17 when the Rams faced the San Francisco 49ers in a meaningless game in which most of the starters rested, and Mannion’s performance was far from impressive.

Mannion would throw for 169 yards, completing 20 out of 34 passes during that loss. In his career, Mannion has totaled just 235 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and has completed 31 out of 50 throws.

That’s not that great, and as a backup quarterback, he isn’t expected to put up big numbers. However, the Rams are still going to need someone that we can rely on to step in successfully if need be.

Mannion has an average arm, but his size at 6’6″ and 223 pounds plus his experience in the Rams’ offense gives him the upper hand in the competition.

What if Jared Goff suffers an unforeseen injury? Can we rely on Mannion to step in comfortably? That’s still up in the air.

This year, Rams have brought Brandon Allen and Luis Perez to compete for the backup quarterback job. Allen has only been in the league two years and Perez is a rookie, meaning Mannion is going to have to be refined to secure his job back.

Allen is a guy who played his college ball in the SEC at Arkansas. At Arkansas, Allen accumulated 7,463 yards, 64 touchdowns, 26 interceptions and a completion percentage of 57.4 percent. The Razorbacks quarterback led Arkansas to a 15-11 record in his last two seasons and played in bowl games in those last two years as well (winning both).

Allen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round in 2016. He then was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Josh Scobee (yes a kicker). Last year, Allen was waived early in the season by the Jaguars. Los Angeles picked him up soon after that and have kept him on the roster since.

Allen has been known to have a huge arm, but his accuracy and decision making are the areas he needs to improve in. If he could refine his game in those areas, Allen could be a talented backup quarterback in the NFL.

Perez is an interesting story. He never played high school football, but walked on at a local junior-college then got a scholarship to play football in Division II. Perez started his college career at Southwestern Junior College near Chula Vista, CA. At Southwestern, Perez threw for 2,234 yards, 23 touchdowns, four interceptions and a completion percentage of 67 percent in the two years he attended there.

Perez would then get an opportunity to play in Division II at Texas A&M University-Commerce (not to be confused with just Texas A&M University). In Division II, Perez played lights out. In his first season starting, Perez totaled 3,326 yards, 32 touchdowns, five interceptions and completed 62.7 percent of his passes.

His senior year earned him the Harlon Hill Award (Best Division II Player). Perez would rack up 4,676 yards, 44 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and an impressive 70.3 completion percentage. Perez played in a spread offensive scheme and was known to be very accurate.

Sean McVay, recently talked about Perez saying he’s “pissed him off” because he’s shown up earlier than McVay at the office.

"“A couple times he kind of pissed me off because he beat me into the office. He’s already in there studying tape. I’m like, ‘What the heck are you doing in here already, man.’”"

The knock on Perez has been questions about his arm strength and his ability to be mobile in the pocket. If he can come in to camp and show he’s worked on those things, we could see a surprise guy sitting behind Goff because the talent is there.

Backup quarterbacks in the NFL are very important. You never know when your starter could go down with an injury and you need someone who is comfortable in the offense that the team operates in. That has yet to be determined with Mannion, who has shown flashes of greatness at times, but could see his job be lost to a couple of newcomers.

It will be an interesting training camp at multiple positions for the Rams and the backup quarterback spot is no exception, even if Mannion has the advantage at the moment for being around longer.