Not all 2024 Top-10 rookie QBs are too lofty for LA Rams reach

The LA Rams front office has to be very aware of the fact that starting quarterback Matthew Stafford will retire someday, perhaps sooner than expected. While the euphoria over rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett had run red hot after his first preseason game, there may be limits to just how far Bennett can go in the NFL.

Let's not try to shed the sage and seasoned Stafford just yet. For the first time since being traded to the LA Rams, a completely healthy Matthew Stafford threw football to a bunch of no-name receivers and carved up the Seattle Seahawks secondary for 334 yards.

Still, the New York Jets saga over veteran quarterback Aaron Rogers is a cautionary tale. Injuries are a constant threat in the NFL, and just one injury can change the outlook for a team's entire season. Meanwhile, the rather crowded crop of rookie quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft has already resulted in two popular names already committing to returning to NCAA football in 2024: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders and Texas QB Quinn Ewards

The Rams, for better or worse, are in the market for a quarterback. The loss in Week 9 to the Green Bay Packers because the team had ignored the backup quarterback drama was a lesson well-learned by the team. That means that despite the lack of interest from Rams fans, the team itself is not above making a play for a rookie quarterback prospect as early as Day 2 in the 2024 NFL Draft. And that is not my speculation, it's simply drawing comments by Rams GM Les Snead out to their logical conclusion:

The thing is that many do not view quarterback as a viable draft option this year, but I do not believe that the team shares that same opinion. The position has long been a nagging burr in the saddle that has derailed plans time and time again. Even former Rams QB Jim Everett sees the writing on the wall this off-season.

So will it be veteran free agent, or draft a rookie? Drafting a rookie has two distinct advantages. First, a rookie can come in and learn the team's offense from the coaching staff, which means that the player will be fundamentally effective in this offensive scheme. The second advantage is that any rookie quarterback will give the team a backup for at least four seasons (pending his outright release) at an incredible bargain price. That is a very tempting to a team that has often struggled to make concessions to get under the annual salary cap.