National Football League

Rams’ offseason checklist includes finding a QB2 behind Matthew Stafford

Published Mar. 6, 2024 4:46 p.m. ET

Matthew Stafford had a bounce-back year in 2023, helping to lead the Los Angeles Rams to a surprising 10-7 record and a postseason berth.

However, the 36-year-old Texas native is closer to the end than the beginning, and head coach Sean McVay knows he needs to start thinking about the future at the quarterback position.

Stafford missed one game last season due to a sprained ligament in his right thumb, a 20-3 loss on the road to the Green Bay Packers in Week 9. Brett Rypien made the start in Stafford's absence and struggled, finishing 13-of-28 for 130 yards and an interception as the Rams failed to score a touchdown on offense.

During L.A.'s disappointing 5-12 season in 2002 following the team's Super Bowl victory, Stafford finished on injured reserve due to a bruised spinal cord. Baker Mayfield subbed for Stafford down the backstretch of that season, going 2-3 as the team's starter.

The Rams would have liked to have kept Mayfield, but he signed with the Buccaneers in free agency last offseason and then led Tampa Bay to the postseason in 2023.

The Rams are looking for a capable backup like Mayfield should something happen to Stafford in a season where McVay believes this team can compete for a deep playoff run.

"We want to make sure that if we ever have to go play a game without Matthew in the lineup, we want to be able to win it," Rams GM Les Snead told reporters last week. "And I think this year is different than last year due to the salary cap could allow us to maybe do a veteran QB.

"Maybe you go with a younger QB as a third [quarterback on the depth chart], or maybe he earns a two. But that flexibility with the cap allows us to do that, where last year we thought, let's be the most competitive team with a starting 22. But it did come back to hurt us for one game last year."

Los Angeles selected Georgia product Stetson Bennett in the fourth round of the draft last year, the first quarterback drafted by the Rams since the start of the McVay era in 2017. Bennett had been a two-time national champ with the Bulldogs, but he was undersized and also had been arrested for public intoxication a couple months before the draft.

During training camp, Bennett at times made plays but struggled during exhibition play, completing just 50% of his passes for 347 yards, with a touchdown and three interceptions in three preseason games.

He missed L.A.'s season-opening loss against the Seahawks for what the team reported as a right shoulder injury. The following week, he was placed on the non-football injury/illness list for the rest of the season for an undisclosed reason.

McVay said Bennett is doing well, and the Rams have yet to decide how they will move forward with the 26-year-old quarterback.

"I think the first thing is you connect with him, which we'll do at the appropriate time," McVay said. "You figure out, ‘Hey, where are you at?' and, ‘Is this something that we feel like is best for him and for our football team to bring him back into this ecosystem?'

"Those will be conversations that we will have. I think once we have a better idea of what we'll do with that, then that'll give clarity. … Right now, we got Matthew Stafford and really in our minds, we don't have a backup quarterback that's on this roster. We'll see what that looks like in terms of how that affects Stetson and the draft or free agency."

According to OvertheCap.com, the Rams have more than $40 million in salary cap space, so they can bring in an experienced signal-caller through free agency if they wish.

The Rams signed former first-round pick Carson Wentz at the end of last season. The North Dakota State product started the regular-season finale for Los Angeles, a 21-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in a meaningless game for both teams, as the NFC West rivals had both already punched their tickets to the postseason.

Wentz is set to hit free agency next week. The Rams could bring him back or look to add another veteran QB in free agency, someone familiar with McVay's scheme such as Sam Darnold or Jacoby Brissett.

McVay also could once again look to the draft to select Stafford's successor. With the No. 19 overall pick, the Rams have a chance to select a player in the first round for the first time since moving up to take Jared Goff No. 1 overall in 2016.

"As we saw last year, sometimes with some patience things fall to you, some things can work out and come to you," McVay said. "We'll see if that ends up being the case."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.