Turf Show Times
With all the instability around Mathew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams fan may be able to find a little solace in one fact— that every NFL fan base would be challenged by the same predicament. What happens if QB#1 goes down?
A good argument could be made that the Rams have one of the better situations with Jimmy Garappolo in the wings. He’s been a competent backup for three top NFL teams, sports a stellar .671 win percentage as a starter, and has four playoff wins under his belt.
Obviously, the offense will have to be tweaked to suit his skillset. Although Garappolo is adept at getting through his reads, it’s not hard to visualize a more system-like approach, akin to what L.A. ran in the early Sean McVay years. Timing patterns to start, quick throws in the short/mid range to set up the run, play action to capitalize on it, and then shots downfield. In tours with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers, tight ends and running backs were a big part of the passing attack.
Are there options to Garappolo?
Sure, but none would improve the Rams 2025 outlook. One, L.A. QB#3 Stetson Bennett has been getting good reviews for improvement in camp, but he’ll have to show something he’s not yet been able to do, prove his mettle (consistently move the offense) in the scheduled live scrimmages and preseason games. Two, make a trade for an established NFL player. With barely enough starting grade QB’s to go around, who’s going to give up a starter or backup without a king’s ransom? Three, add a QB from the bottom of an opposing roster, a group that is divided into retreads, no-names, and wanna-be’s.
I have included a list of all the possible prospects (within reason). Every team’s depth chart, or a reasonable application, with starters and backups in regular font and bubble guys in bold. The free agents have their own group. Looked at as a whole, you can see that every NFL team would face the same quandary the Rams do if their QB#1 is questionable or goes down.
Cardinals – #1 Kyler Murray, #2 Jacoby Brissett, #3 Clayton Tune
Seahawks – #1 Sam Darnold, #2 Drew Lock, #3 Jalen Milroe, #4 John Rhys-Plumlee
49ers – #1 Brock Purdy. #2 Mac Jones, #3 Kurtis Rourke, #4 Tanner Mordecai, #5 Carter Bradley
Lions – #1 Jared Goff, #2 Herndon Hooker, #3 Kyle Allen
Vikings – #1 JJ McCarthy, #2 Sam Howell, #3 Bret Rypien
Packers – #1 Bryce Love, #2 Malik Willis, #3 Sean Clifford, #4 Taylor Elgersma
Bears – #1 Caleb Williams, #2 Case Keenum, #3 Tyson Bagent, #4 Austin Reed
Eagles – #1 Jalen Hurts, #2 Dorian Thompson-Robinson, #3 Kyle MCord, #4 Tanner McKee
Commanders – #1 Jadyn Daniels, #2 Marcus Mariota, #3 Sam Hartman, #4 Josh Johnson
Cowboys – #1 Dak Prescott, #2 Joe Milton, #3 Will Grier
Giants – #1 Russell Wilson, #2 Jaxon...
