Bengals' Joe Burrow injury ignites firestorm of NFL rumors that lead to Rams

The NFL is an ever-changing environment, with some of the most potent NFL contenders felled by a single injury.

Fans of the Los Angeles Rams know this all too well, as the team has had to power through serious injuries to key players in almost every season. And yet, the injury wight has been hunting key players from other teams, too.

One of the most notable injuries to impact a powerful NFL team is that to Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow:

L.A. fans recognize the uncertainty and peril that accompany injury to a starting quarterback. They had to face similar uncertainty throughout training camp and preseason, as quarterback Matthew Stafford struggled with back pain. But the depth chart was built for such uncertainty, as Los Angeles retained veteran backup Jimmy Garoppolo to join under-the-radar QB Stetson Bennett to fill the room.

The Rams are getting what appears to be prime-time Stafford this season, a mild surprise after so many NFL experts and analysts were all-in on the doom and gloom of his lack of durability. While injuries are apt to occur any week, so far, the 37 year old continues to stand tall in the pocket.

And that fact has prompted some NFL analysts to do an about-face on their outlook for the quarterback room, particularly in light of Burrow's injury.

Rams QB Jimmy Garoppolo linked to Bengals by several NFL experts

The quarterback room boasts Stafford, Garoppolo, and Bennett. While L.A. is not out of the woods for 2025 by any means, several NFL experts point to Cincy's urgent need to reinforce its own QB room as cause for exploring a trade for a veteran at the position.

Rrumors that have ignited overnight continue to view Garoppolo as one of the ideal targets.

CBS Sports NFL analyst John Breech named Jimmy G among three veteran quarterbacks Cincinnati should be calling about. The Sporting News' Vinnie Tyer took his best speculative effort andnamed five veteran quarterback successors for Burrow. And Yahoo! Sports loved Tyer's article, it grabbed it and is featuring it as well.

True, all experts also admitted the Bengals' best option may be to stick with Burrow's primary backup, Jake Browning. But there are challenges with that scenario as well. Who backs up the backup QB? The Bengals surely understand the likelihood of diminishing returns. And with Burrow expected to be sidelined through mid-December, that places a huge burden on Browning to deliver.

Of all the external veteran options, Garoppolo is the most versatile and logical. He comes on a one-year deal for a ridiculously team-friendly price. So the only true cost to consider is the trade compensation to pry him from the Rams. While it's unlikely that the team would part with one of its favorite players, stranger things have happened.

Stay tuned, because this could be a rapidly developing story. As always, thanks for reading.

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