LA Rams sign USFL star QB just as training camp opens

The LA Rams finally pulled the trigger on a move we have been expecting for some time. A fourth quarterback has been signed to the roster, a quarterback who will likely be a passer for training camp, a quarterback who will take snaps and play in preseason games, and a young man who may or may not survive the first wave of roster cuts.

But opportunities to play in the NFL are not easy to come by. So let’s meet and talk about the newest LA Rams quarterback, Luis Perez:

Rather, some of you may recall that Perez was originally signed by the team as an undrafted rookie in 2018 out of Texas A&M Commerce.

Since his time with the LA Rams, Luis Perez has continued to pursue his passion for playing football. He played in the Alliance of American Football in 2019 before the league suspended play. He signed on with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions that fall.

Perez played in the XFL for the New York Guardians in 2020 before playing for the New Jersey Generals in 2022 for the new USFL.

Perez is a pocket passer, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 223-pounds, who possesses an almost identical size and weight to starting quarterback Matthew Stafford who is 6-foot-3 and 220-pounds. That will help receivers track the football, as the trajectories will be almost identical to that of Stafford (sans the no-look pass).

You may also recall that Perez was the guy who showed up earlier than LA Rams head coach Sean McVay:

"“A couple times he kind of pissed me off because he beat me into the office. He’s already in there studying tape. I’m like, ‘What the heck are you doing in here already, man.’”"

Perez may be a long shot to become more than a camp body, but he has certainly shown rapid improvement since he was last on the LA Rams roster. In the just completed 2022 season for the USFL New Jersey Generals, Perez completed 124 of 173 passes for 1200 yards, nine touchdowns to just one interception. That is a completion rating of 71.7 percent. The Generals finished the season with a 9-1 record.

Perez will undoubtedly come in at the bottom of the LA Rams depth chart. But he is coming off an impressive USFL season, so he is already warmed up and could be a lot of fun to watch.

Will he push anyone currently on the roster for their spot? I won’t go that far. But he is coming off a very good season playing for the USFL, and he is likely expected back on their roster in 2023. For now, he will have an opportunity to learn from veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford.

So I expect the young man will have a lot of fun with the Rams, no matter how it all turns out.