From now until the start of free agency, on March 7, we'll take a position-by-position look at the Los Angeles Rams in eight installments. The Rams -- coming off a 4-12 season that prompted the hiring of rookie head coach Sean McVay -- have about $40 million in cap space but do not have a first-round draft pick. They also have a lot of needs, all of which can feel a little overwhelming without breaking it down by section. We'll do that here. Next up: quarterback. (Previous: WR/TE, DL, OL, LB, RB)
Key returnees: Jared Goff, Sean Mannion
Notable free agents: Case Keenum
Top free agents available (for now): Kirk Cousins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Josh McCown, Shaun Hill, Matt Schaub, Matt McGloin, Mike Glennon, E.J. Manuel, Matt Cassel, Blaine Gabbert
Key stat: Among rookies with at least 200 pass attempts, Goff's 63.6 passer rating was the 12th-lowest since 2000. The 11 who were worse: Andrew Walter (55.8 in 2006), Jimmy Clausen (58.4 in 2010), Kyle Orton (59.7 in 2005), Josh Freeman (59.8 in 2009), Joey Harrington (59.9 in 2002), Matthew Stafford (61.0 in 2009), Chris Weinke (62.0 in 2001), Kyle Boller (62.4 in 2003), Ken Dorsey (62.4 in 2004), David Carr (62.8 in 2002) and Mark Sanchez (63.0 in 2009). Those 11 have combined for one Pro Bowl invite, for Stafford.
As you might have noticed, the quarterback market drops off considerably after Cousins. That's why trading for Jay Cutler sounds like such an appealing proposition. And it's why so many teams are expected to line up for Tony Romo if the Dallas Cowboys release him. The Rams have been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Romo, but their biggest question at quarterback is whether Mannion, a third-round pick in 2015, is ready to be a full-time backup. If not, the Rams could bring in a fringe veteran.
But it's Goff's turn to start, for better or worse.
By the end of 2017, we'll all have a much better understanding of how good, or bad, Goff actually is. The No. 1 overall pick in 2016, Goff never challenged Keenum for the starting job in training camp last summer and didn't get the nod until Week 11. He started each of the Rams' last seven games, all losses, and finished with the NFL's fewest yards per attempt (5.31), second-worst Total QBR (22.2), fourth-worst completion percentage (54.6) and fourth-lowest touchdown-to-interception ratio (0.71).
But Goff also didn't have any help, at receiver, along the offensive line or within the scheme. Now he'll get a chance to play under Sean McVay, who helped Cousins ascend while serving as the play-caller for a quarterback-friendly Washington Redskins offense these last two years. And he'll work alongside Greg Olson, who has spent 15 years in the NFL as either an offensive coordinator or a quarterbacks coach or both. Olson, who watched Goff closely at Cal, sees "tremendous arm talent" and said the key to Goff's development rests on "being comfortable within a system."
"This is a guy that we believe in," McVay said of Goff at his introductory news conference. "We’re encouraged and excited about developing him."
