Turf Show Times
Would Daniel Jones be a good fit on the Rams?
Until the Los Angeles Rams and quarterback Matthew Stafford get a deal done, the speculation regarding his future will continue to brew. Even if the Rams get a deal done with Stafford, there will be questions about how the team approaches the position post-’25 and what a potential heir looks like.
The Rams have been a proven ecosystem to get the best out of young quarterbacks and help get their careers back on track. Sean McVay did it with with Jared Goff in 2017 following his disastrous rookie season. Had the Rams opted to keep Jeff Fisher or they hadn’t hired McVay, it’s hard to see Goff turning into the quarterback that he is currently.
Baker Mayfield experienced this as well in 2022. After being sent to the Carolina Panthers by the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield was cut and ended up in Los Angeles. After playing well over the back-half of the season, Mayfield got another chance in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers.
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak wrote about the path to career recovery for the quarterbacks set to become free agents this offseason. It should be no surprise that the Rams were selected as a “turnaround home” and a fit for one of those quarterbacks. According to Solak, the quarterback that would benefit the most from joining the Rams is Daniel Jones. Said Solak,
“It seems like the Rams might entertain cutting bait on Stafford and starting a franchise reload on offense, which screams opportunity for bridge quarterbacks hoping to become more. McVay and Puka Nacua immediately provide the sort of offensive incubator we’re looking for, Stafford’s big shoes create low expectations and pretty much every quarterback who has played for McVay has looked better there than they have elsewhere. If I were Darnold’s agent, I wouldn’t let him sign anywhere until I was certain this job wasn’t available. But assuming Stafford stays and/or Darnold gets an enormous deal elsewhere, Los Angeles is the perfect landing spot for Jones. He has a big frame and would bring an added QB run dimension to McVay’s bootleg/rollout series (something that has been absent under Goff and Stafford alike). He can warm the bench behind Stafford for 2025 and have pole position for the starting job in 2026.”
Daniel Jones at 27 isn’t going to excite many fans. He has one year of production in which he helped lead the Giants to a playoff win. However, the last two years have been back to what we saw from Jones during his first three seasons.
While Jones may make for a good backup quarterback, it’s hard to see him earning a starting job again even if he does sit behind Stafford. The ship has also likely sailed on Jones being a bridge quarterback of sorts. It would be very difficult for any team to hitch their wagon to Jones for any extensive period of time.
This isn’t to say that Jones in McVay’s offense...
