LA Rams: 3 ways to improve QB depth in next 72 hours

The LA Rams just learned about the emergency surgery to backup quarterback John Wolford. While it may seem to be a bit reactionary to act now by adding a backup quarterback this late in the game, the goal is to have someone ready in the regular season if needed. In short, there is still time to find someone, because there is still enough time to get them ready.

Backup quarterbacks, particularly in the case of the LA Rams, are a big deal. Even though we’ve cited all the ways that veteran Matthew Stafford played through the pain in 2020, the fact remains that the Rams quarterback played through the pain of four separate and potential season-ending injuries in just one season. Even though we can all stand back and ooh and ahh about the guy now, if and when any ding, dent, or boo-boo happens to the guy in 2021, you can bet everyone will gasp and lose their breath if it happens during the season.

The truth of the LA Rams’ backup quarterback situation comes down to these elements. The Rams currently projected backup quarterback, John Wolford, is in the last year of his contract. He has played in 1.1 NFL games, has proven to be vulnerable, and will likely miss the rest of training camp and preseason games due to his emergency appendectomy that occurred on the morning of August 6, 2021.

His backup, Bryce Perkins, is a 2020 undrafted rookie who is a complete enigma. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 213-pounds, this dual-threat quarterback was another investment into mobility by the Rams. While we have yet to see him play the position, the fact is that the Rams went out and signed Blake Bortles back to the roster, rather than put Perkins into a position of playing under center in the 2020 playoffs. That still haunts me to this day, and I cannot feel good about the possibility of the team being handed over to him until he proves that he can handle the role.

“Duck” Devlin Hodges was added to the roster in 2021, but to me, this felt like “too much too little too late” to be a viable option. While the 6-foot-1 210-pound Hodges is yet another mobile quarterback, he at least has some bonafide NFL starter experience from the Pittsburgh Steelers. When the Rams added him, they believed that the team was sitting on a gold mine in the backfield with Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson teaming up for the 2021 season. That has all changed now, so the Rams should consider changing the parameters of the backup quarterback too. But how?