The scary thing about Jared Goff aside what’s been seen on the field thus far, is that he is far and away the best option the Rams have at quarterback. It’s not entirely his fault that he enters his second season already having to prove his worth. It wasn’t his fault Snead mortaged the team’s future to draft him and it also isn’t his fault Jeff Fisher is a football Creationist.
That being said, he’s got a gigantic spotlight on him already and what’s frightening is this all assumes he’s healthy. If he goes down the Rams will somehow find themselves in a worse spot because beyond him the prospetcts are terrifying. Case Keenum wants no part in backing up Goff which is understandable because Keenum and possibly his agent and family believe he should be a starter in the league and he’ll want a fresh start to prove it. Without Keenum, the Rams are looking at a free agent landscape that includes some names that should make the hairs on the back of fans’ necks stand up.
First let’s put the notion of signing Kirk Cousins or Tyrod Taylor to bed. Neither of those guys are coming, Cousins because he’s too expensive and Tyrod won’t want another situation where it isn’t clear he’s the guy. Second, it is possible the Rams use their 4th pick or below to draft a quarterback both for depth and in case they’re already imagining a world without Goff. They already have a myriad of other areas to address but sadly, they need to allocate their precious resources towards finding a veteran to back up Goff and do so at Big Lots prices.
So who’s on the horizon? Well as mentioned earlier there aren’t exactly a bevy of options. Assuming no one gets cut between now and free agency the top names on the list include Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown, Shaun Hill, Matt Shaub, Matt McGloin, Matt Cassel, E.J. Manuel, and Blaine Gabbert. Of those names, Fitzpatrick absolutely wants nothing short of a long term deal and a guaranteed starting spot, so he’s out, McCown is probably the best option but he won’t come cheap, and the rest are an island of misfit toys.
Shaun Hill would probably the best option in terms of value and skill set, plus he should still have his Rams jersey in his closet so that saves a little money. Matt Cassel and Matt McGloin aren’t exactly confidence builders either but they wouldn’t be expensive and they can both hold the hell out of a clipboard. Manuel isn’t even close to being regarded as a competent back up and Blaine Gabbert is historically one of the worst starting quarterbacks of all time. The rumblings are that the Rams might be in the market to trade for Tony Romo or Jay Cutler but those are nothing more than pipe dreams.
Tony Romo will not be traded anywhere that doesn’t give him the chance to ride off into the sunset like Peyton Manning. He also won’t be traded to the NFC because Jerry Jones doesn’t want to have to worry about playing against him.
Also, the Rams don’t exactly have the trade capital to acquire him and the cap hit would be fairly severe. Cutler is easier to obtain because Chicago would give him up for a washing machine and a giftcard to Arclight but that presents its own set of problems. Cutler isn’t the kind of guy who will be content riding the bench and he sure as hell won’t want to be a mentor to Jared Goff. Plus, like Romo his cap hit wouldn’t exactly be team friendly.
It is likely the Rams get lucky and find one of the above options at a minimal expense but that puts more pressure on a young offensive line to make sure Goff doesn’t get hurt because if the team didn’t have enough problems on offense, having to start Matt McGloin or Matt Cassel would fall in the darkest timeline.
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