The Rams have made it clear that Sam Bradford will be their starting quarterback next season as long as he’s fully recovered from the torn ACL that drew his 2013 season to an early end.
With that injury fresh in their minds, the identity of the backup quarterback is also sure to be of some interest in St. Louis. Kellen Clemens performed a bit better than expected when he took over for Bradford, but he’s a free agent and coach Jeff Fisher didn’t make any bold statements about wanting him back when he said the team was “discussing” the possibilities.
“Well, we’ve got Austin Davis,” Fisher said, via ESPN.com. “I was really happy with his progress. Still there’s a possibility that we would bring Kellen back. Kellen’s an outstanding locker room guy, and very competitive. And if that were the case we’d probably flip things to where Austin would be [No.] 2, Kellen would be 3.”
The Rams gave Davis a shot to beat out Clemens for the backup job last year, but wound up cutting him after camp and only brought him back after Bradford was lost for the season. Clemens would give them someone experienced as a starter in the offense while also opening up the possibility of drafting a new developmental prospect who could upgrade the overall talent at the position.
There are other options for the Rams to pursue, of course, but Bradford’s knee injury and likely need for a limited practice schedule heading into next season could make rolling with Davis a risky choice.