This is part one of a nine part series previewing each position on the St. Louis Rams in 2015. They will go as follows:
1 – QB
2 – RB/FB
3 – WR/TE
4 – OL
5 – DL
6 – LB
7 – CB
8 – SS/FS
9 – Special Teams
Part One – Quarterbacks
Current QBs on the roster:
Nick Foles
Case Keenum
Sean Mannion
Austin Davis
Nick Foles – It’s clear that Foles will be the starter on opening day. Head coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead made that clear after trading for him last spring. Foles has shown slight success in the NFL, in 2013 he had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 27-2 and played in 13 games. He was off to a decent start in 2014, having a ratio of 13-10 but his season was cut short when he broke his collarbone. Nick Foles was named the starter just days after being traded to the Rams, so there will be on QB competition this summer.
Nick Foles was acquired by the Rams in March of 2015.
Case Keenum – This went much under the radar, but former Rams QB Case Keenum was traded back to the Rams for a seventh round pick and is back on the Rams roster. He spent his 2014 season with the Rams on the practice squad and then was signed off of the Rams practice squad by the Houston Texans and Keenum started the last two games of the 2014 season for the Texans. Keenum went 2-0 in those games with 435 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The Rams traded their seventh round pick in 2016 to acquire Keenum this past offseason. Keenum has more experience than the average backup QB. He certainly can win ballgames if Nick Foles were to go down with an injury.
Sean Mannion – The Rams selected Mannion with the 89th overall pick in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. It’s hard to imagine that they designate him to the practice squad where he could be signed by another team. Mannion will be the third string quarterback on the roster and will learn and develop under Nick Foles and Case Keenum.
Austin Davis – Austin Davis saw lots of playing time in 2014 due to injuries to QBs Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill. Davis played in 10 games, threw for 2,001 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. But with a QB group that already has three guys practically set in place, Davis will likely be designated the practice squad. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him get signed off of the practice squad by another team.
Austin Davis playing against the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.
So as aforementioned, we all know who the starting quarterback will be. And there’s a semi-experienced quarterback behind him and then a young rookie learning behind them. I like Austin Davis but it’s very likely he will be designated to the practice squad. We are looking at what could be an incredible year for the quarterback of the St. Louis Rams (Nick Foles); something the team hasn’t had since Sam Bradford’s rookie year in 2010 when he threw for over 3,500 yards and had 18 touchdowns.
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