Rams should try making Blake Bortles more than just a one-year rental

The Los Angeles Rams recently signed Blake Bortles to a one-year deal to backup Jared Goff for the 2019 season.

Entering the offseason, the Los Angeles Rams seemed to have a good idea that Sean Mannion would be on his way out since from a financial perspective, the backup quarterback would most likely be too expensive to keep around.

Time will tell when it comes to seeing where Mannion ends up for the 2019 season after spending the first part of his career with the Rams, but at least the team was able to figure out their situation at the backup quarterback position by signing Blake Bortles to a one-year deal.

While this may not seem like that big of a deal at first since Bortles has been described as a bust for the most part other than the 2017 season when the Jacksonville Jaguars reached the AFC Championship, the fact that Los Angeles only has to pay him $1 million is a steal.

Football fans can say what they want about Bortles as a quarterback, but they can’t deny the previous starting experience that he now brings to the table for the Rams.

There obviously isn’t any concerns over Jared Goff‘s health at the moment, but unfortunately the NFL has seen too many teams take a massive hit at times over the years when their starting quarterback goes down.

In other words, Los Angeles was smart to bring Bortles on when they did since it’s better to be safe than sorry in the NFL, and it would be a shame if the offense suffered the loss of Goff without a reliable option to fall back on.

Using the word “reliable” in the same sentence as Bortles may result in some fans scratching their heads in confusion, but also keep in mind that Sean McVay is known for his reputation of quarterback development.

So if there’s any head coach capable of helping a player like Bortles turn his career around before it’s too late, McVay seems like the best candidate.

Rightfully so, it was easy to understand the decision by the Rams giving Bortles a one-year deal since his price was going to be a steal, and they really had nothing to lose with the decision. And while there has already been talk about the possibility of Bortles using this year to develop under McVay before looking for a new starting job in 2020, Los Angeles should focus on keeping him around for the long run.

As great as it would be for Bortles to one day find another starting job with another team, the Rams also don’t want to find themselves in a similar position next offseason where they’re trying to find another backup quarterback.

Every players rightfully wants to be in a position to compete for a starting job in the NFL, but if Bortles finds himself in a great situation in Los Angeles where the team loves having him around as a backup to Goff, sticking around for the long run could end up benefitting both parties.