National Football League

Nick Foles ready to lead dynamic Rams offense

Published Jul. 1, 2015 10:46 a.m. ET

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By Evan Massey

The St. Louis Rams have been slowly rebuilding their team over the last couple of seasons, and they are very happy with where they are at heading into the 2015 season. They were able to add two very important pieces to their offense this offseason, and to say that the Rams have a chance to be dynamic would be an understatement.

Nick Foles was acquired by the Rams this past offseason from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for Sam Bradford. It was a move that excited the Rams’ fan base, and rightfully so. While Foles may never be a top-10 NFL quarterback, he is more than capable of leading an offense and being the type of quarterback that can help St. Louis reach the dynamic potential that their offense has.

Last season was a bit rough for Foles, as he threw for 2,163 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. It wasn’t the year that Eagles fans were hoping for after his stellar play during his first season as the Eagles’ full-time starter in 2013. During the 2013 season, Foles threw for 2,891 yards, 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

There weren’t many quarterbacks that were better than Foles in 2013, and he was immediately thought of as a budding star. What happened between the 2013 and 2014 season isn’t known, but the Rams are hoping that it was just a down season and that he will bounce back. Foles still has the talent to become one of the better quarterbacks in the league, especially with the weapons that he will have this season.

Foles wasn’t the only big pickup that the Rams were able to bring onto their offense. Todd Gurley was also selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Gurley is going to be the workhorse running back that the Rams have been needing since Steven Jackson fell from being one of the best running backs in the league. He is coming off of a torn ACL that he suffered his junior season with the Georgia Bulldogs, and is still recovering from it. That has made the Rams a bit concerned about his status for the 2015 season, but he is definitely making progress towards being available for the first game of the season.

During his junior season with the Bulldogs last season, Gurley ended up rushing for 911 yards and nine touchdowns on 123 carries. He put up those numbers in just six games, which shows how much Georgia’s offense depended on him. St. Louis is going to be asking him to put up big numbers on the ground as well to balance things out with the passing game and make it easier on Foles.

Looking at the targets that Foles will have to throw to this season, there are quite a few dynamic receivers that come up as well. Tavon Austin is one of the names that pops out. There is no question that he has the speed and ability to become something special, and perhaps Jeff Fisher can help him turn things around now that Foles is on board as the new quarterback.

Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Brian Quick and Chris Givens are all going to be solid targets for Foles as well at the wide receiver position. They are all capable of doing different things on the field that make them a very dangerous group together. Adding Jared Cook into the mix at the tight end position is even more dangerous for opposing defenses, and gives Foles the type of big and athletic target that every quarterback loves to have.

St. Louis has been steadily rebuilding their offense, and they believe that they have finally found the quarterback to lead them forward. Foles is ready to take the pressure and prove himself to the NFL once again, and it will be very exciting to watch this Rams team take the next step. It has been a long time since they were viewed as legitimate contenders, but they are making major strides to get back to that point with the offseason moves that they have made.

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