Rams General Manager Les Snead has already declared an open competition between quarterbacks Case Keenum and Nick Foles for next season.
And while that might underwhelm fans in Los Angeles who haven’t seen a pro quarterback in 21 years, Snead’s also doing his best to keep fans from thinking a first-round savior is on the way.
Snead told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times that he can’t rule out using a high pick on a quarterback, but was quick to point out some mid-rounders who have had success lately.
“You definitely have to prepare that you might do it,” Snead said. “Sometimes with QBs we’ve seen some very successful ones go in the second round, and the third round seems to be hot of late. I’m thinking of Russell Wilson. I’m thinking of Kirk Cousins [fourth round].
“So the thing about the draft is, because it’s become a nice entertainment segment, . . . there’s so much attention on the first round, especially at the QB position, that sometimes the third-round QB, it’s ‘Oh, he’s a third-round QB.’ But the long story short on all of that is we’ll definitely scout QBs, and we’ll definitely look at the trade market and free-agent market.”
As to the in-house options, Snead said that restricted free agent Keenum wasn’t leaving town: “We’re not going to let him go somewhere else.”
He also scuttled the notion that Foles was too expensive to hang onto as a backup, saying: “The answer from a salary standpoint is, yes, he’s easily keepable.”
But it’s clear that the Rams need an answer there, and they can’t rule out any possible avenue for finding one.