LA Rams need to kick tires on USFL QB Case Cookus

The USFL is back, and with it comes the intrigue of players crossing over into the NFL. Bleacher report Alex Ballentine takes up the yolk of identifying five players who could flourish in the NFL. One such player he hones in on is Philadelphia Stars quarterback Case Cookus. And after reading about Cookus, I tend to agree.

The LA Rams offense is built to optimize veteran QB Matthew Stafford’s skillsets. What do we know about Stafford? What is it about Stafford that has enabled him to pilot the LA Rams‘ high-flying aerial attack?

Well, several things jump off the page.

For starters, Matthew Stafford stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 220 pounds. He is a bit of a gunslinger, a quarterback who will follow up throwing an interception by tossing two touchdown passes. And he has a cannon of an arm. He can toss Hail Mary touchdown bombs coast to coast.

Of course, there are many more aspects of Stafford. But that gives us a solid starting point.

Captain Cookus can cook

So what does this all mean for Case Cookus? Perhaps more than you may think.

Cookus is an undrafted quarterback from the draft class of 2020, the same class that yielded QB Bryce Perkins for the LA Rams. He stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 205-pounds. He has had short stints with the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders, and even the CFL’s Edmonton Elks. Through it all, he was nothing more than a camp body, at least until he signed on with the Philadelphia Stars.

He’s always had a strong arm, an attribute that had his listed as the 13th-best quarterback prospect in a very solid quarterback rookie class of 2020.

Now, he is building consistency. In nine USFL games, Case Cookus completed 130 of 208 passes for 1,334 yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a QBR of 130.6. He helped lead the Philadelphia Stars to a 6-4 record.

So what positions him as a solid backup for the LA Rams?

Well, for starters, he fits the mold. He stands tall in the pocket, he loves to throw the football (he averaged over 23 passes per game), and he has the chops to hurl the long touchdown passes that the LA Rams offense has come to depend on.

Best of all, he is a USFL player who can sign on with the Rams and would be a solid QB for training camp. If he doesn’t work out for the Rams, he simply returns to the Philadelphia Stars and is a better player for the experience. But if he pans out? He could be a solid roster addition for the team for the 2022 NFL season and beyond.