LA Rams backup quarterback John Wolford is a lone wolf

LA Rams backup quarterback John Wolford is the only quarterback behind starter Jared Goff on the Rams roster. Is he up to the challenge of new competition, perhaps even leading the Rams offense?

The LA Rams have a great deal of faith in starting quarterback Jared Goff. So much so that the team has very little insurance on the roster in the case of injury, poor play, or illness. That vestige of backing up the Rams franchise quarterback currently rests entirely upon quarterback John Wolford. Nobody else.  That makes Wolford a bit of a lone wolf. It also make him a bit of an enigma.

So who is the question mark of a man who will line up under center if Goff goes down?

John Wolford is a former Wake Forest quarterback, a 6-foot-1 200 pound hurler who didn’t attract a lot of NFL Draft buzz.  A four-year starter for the Deacon Demons, he did put together an impressive senior year with 3,192 passing yards and a 158.0 quarterback rating. He tossed 23 touchdowns his senior season, to only six interceptions.  He never attracted much NFL interest because, quite frankly, his size is his detriment.  That was not pushed to the back burner, even thought Wolford is a true dual- threat quarterback. That same senior season, he rushed for 683 yards and 10 touchdowns.

That’s hardly the  type of offense currently deployed by the Rams.  But he is the type of quarterback the rival San Francisco 49ers struggle to defend.

Wolford’s route to the pros

Wolford did have a short stint with the Alliance of American Football (AAF) league as the quarterback for the Arizona Hotshots, where he threw for 1,617 yards and 14 touchdowns in just six games. His NFL story began when he signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets. but was cut in September 2018.  The LA Rams signed him in the spring of 2019, and he has been a Rams player ever since.

The Rams clearly appreciate Wolford’s potential, as the team cut backup quarterback Brandon Allen in favor of Wolford at the end of the 2019 preseason. And Wolford certainly did enough in the 2019 preseason to give evidence that he would be a solid backup of the future. That future is now.  Does he deserve the team’s QB2 spot?

While NFL pundits have linked veteran quarterbacks Philip Rivers to the Rams, and others have attempted to link quarterback Tom Brady to LA, Wolford was quietly signed to a reserve futures contract in early January 2020.

Wolford’s future

As far as what can the Rams expect from Wolford in 2020?  The team only has the 2019 preseason games to judge.  In four games, he was 25 of 44 passes for 249 yards, three touchdowns and zero interception.  He also rushed 10 times for 28 yards. Not glamorous. Not glitzy. Just solid numbers in limited opportunities.

A number of veteran quarterbacks hit the free agency market this year.  And some big boards mock as many as five rookie quarterbacks hearing their name called on day one of the 2020 NFL Draft. The math simply does not support every veteran leaving one team to automatically get a starting role on another NFL team.  With just 32 teams, and five rookies entering, the musical chairs for some quarterbacks will mean either they accept a backup role for less money, or leave the game of football altogether.

That translates into more competition at the backup quarterback role for the LA Rams. While that is good for the team, it could prove beneficial for Wolford as well.  Competing against either an NFL veteran or rookie places more relative value to his skillset.  That only serves to help him retain his role with the Rams going forward.  And the more the Rams know about Wolford, the more likely the team is to plan to keep him on the roster for years to come.