Rams commit to Stafford for 2024. But questions abound over who will be his backup

Stafford is "The Man" for 2024, but who is the understudy?

The LA Rams are blessed to have a tough son of a gun at the quarterback position, That is a credit to Stafford, but it does have some repercussions in terms of how the Rams front office must view the position in terms of depth for the 2024 NFL season.

Ideally, if the Rams could extend veteran QB Carson Wentz to a team-friend;u two-year deal, that would allow the Rams to focus on building an offense and defense capable of winning a Super Bowl in 2024. Is that a realistic goal? After the Rams impressive 2023 season, I think it is more than doable.

If the Rams extend Wentz on a multi-year team friendly deal, the Rams quarterback room looks rather impressive indeed. That room would include Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz, Stetson Bennett, and finally Dresser Winn. Even if Winn cannot crack the lineup, I believe that he warrants being signed to the Rams practice squad in 2024, unless the Rams have a better option.

But what happens if the Rams do not extend Wentz?

Without Wentz, I hope that the Rams would give serious consideration to drafting a quarterback in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. Doing so would not only give the Rams a clear-cut QB2 for the 2024 NFL season, but would allow that quarterback to learn from Stafford throughout the season.

Adding a meaningful quarterback to the roster via the 2024 NFL Draft also allows the Rams to work with that player, and assess their attributes in anticipation of a day when they might assume the role of starting quarterback for the team.

Succession plans are only effective if the Rams have one in place before it is needed. And like it or not, the Rams have to view 2024 and beyond as the period of time when they must have a solid plan to execute if Matthew Stafford in injured. Overkill?

Not if the Rams need a temporary starter to salvage the season.