Sam Bradford has missed most of the last two seasons due to multiple ACL injuries, and as the Rams quarterback enters the final year of his rookie contract, there has been speculation that the team will cut ties with the former first overall pick. However, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links), Bradford remains in the Rams’ plans, with head coach Jeff Fisher indicating that the signal-caller was one of the main reasons he took the St. Louis job.
Bradford is the only Rams quarterback currently under contract for 2015, with Shaun Hill eligible for unrestricted free agency, and Austin Davis hitting restricted free agency. However, as Breer notes (via Twitter), Bradford would likely have to rework his contract for his time in St. Louis to continue. He’s currently on the books for a $16.58MM cap hit, and the Rams could clear nearly $13MM of that amount by cutting him in the offseason.
In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com today, Field Yates suggested the Rams should strongly consider trading up for a quarterback in the 2015 draft, since there’s enough talent elsewhere on the roster to compete immediately with a solid quarterback, and the team could afford to give up a couple picks. Breer acknowledges (via Twitter) that St. Louis will likely add a QB in the draft, but says Bradford could still enter next season as the starter, assuming he’s fully recovered from his latest ACL tear.
While trading up for a QB is one path the Rams could consider, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. said on a conference call today that he doesn’t believe there’s a franchise quarterback in next year’s draft class, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. If the Rams feel the same way, it wouldn’t make much sense for them to move up in the first round, though perhaps there’d be an under-the-radar option the team could target in the middle rounds.
As we’ve seen over the last two weeks, this St. Louis team has more than enough talent on the defensive side of the ball. Our Rob DiRe wrote late last month that the Rams appear to be just a quarterback away from being a legit contender, so it will be interesting to keep an eye on how the club addresses that issue in the offseason.