Last year, the Rams and Eagles decided that Nick Foles and Sam Bradford, respectively, would solve their problems at quarterback. Now, both teams have made blockbuster moves to the top of the draft, in the hopes of acquiring the quarterbacks that Foles and Bradford will never be.
So why should the fans of the teams that missed on Foles and Bradford assume that they’ll hit on Jared Goff and/or Carson Wentz?
In Philadelphia, the firing of Chip Kelly and the previous exile of Howie Roseman gives Roseman a certain degree of cover for the 2015 trade. But it was Roseman who decided to give Bradford a two-year, $35 million deal only weeks before deciding to give up plenty to draft Wentz or Goff, so the manner in which the current situation plays out will stick to him, if it ends up being a mess.
In L.A., the same power structure that thought Foles was the answer now thinks Goff or Wentz will be.
The truth is no one knows how either quarterback will perform at the NFL level. Both teams have swapped plenty of lottery tickets, current and future, for a weighted slate of numbers more likely to deliver the Powerball prize every NFL team needs in order to contend on a regular basis: A franchise quarterback.
For the folks in Philly and L.A. who have mortgaged the future in the hopes of securing a franchise quarterback, it’s a small price to surrender picks they quite possibly won’t be present to not use. For the Rams, there’s a much more palpable “all in” vibe in the move to No. 1 from No. 15. For the Eagles, the move is more about the future, making immediate returns less critical to Roseman or coach Doug Pederson.
Regardless, the bold moves will define both regimes, either cementing their status or greasing the skids for an exit.