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

Free-agent QBs:

If you want someone who can come in with a bit of NFL veteran savvy, then the Rams front office will need to expand the search beyond the NFL waiver wire. The best and most economic veterans have been scooped up by now, so the team will need to plan to lower the bar in some areas in order to get some players in for a test run.

The first player to consider is former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ryan Finley. At 6-foot-4 and 207-pounds, Finley is certainly a prototypical size for the role of quarterback. He also brings a healthy portfolio of NFL action, playing in eight games over a two-year period, and starting in four of those contests. He completed 58 of 119 passes for 638 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. He was also running for his life behind a porous Bengals offensive line, as he was sacked 20 times in just eight games. Finley was the emergency quarterback option added by the Houston Texans in a trade with the Bengals in case Deshaun Watson did not report to camp. He is a pocket passer who remains a bit raw. But he, like Stafford, could blossom in the Rams’ more developed offensive scheme.

Is it just me, or does Blake Bortles just make sense here? Bortles is a Steady-Freddie. Not much in the way of glitz or glamor, but he is a huge 6-foot-5 236-pound veteran quarterback who is very durable. How much do the LA Rams coaching staff trust this guy? As soon as starting quarterback Jared Goff shattered the thumb of his throwing hand, the Rams signed Bortles up instantly and promoted him to the backup quarterback role. That means, without taking a single snap for the Rams in 2020, he leapfrogged Bryce Perkins on the depth chart. So why be foolish about this? He was recently waived by the Green Bay Packers, so just go out and get him now. He knows the Rams’ offense and could be the fastest turnkey quarterback option for the Rams right now.

So far, the options we’ve provided are the equivalent of the emergency donut that has become the option for automobile safety kits in case of a flat tire. You know, no faster than 50 miles per hour, no further than 60 miles. Yep, if you’ve got a flat, it can get you hobbling the entire way to the nearest service station. But what if your mind was made up that a backup quarterback must be able to deliver a win if needed. Then, you are looking at trading for a backup quarterback.