Getty Matthew Stafford and Les Snead after Super Bowl 56. The Rams general manager Snead helped answer some glaring questions about the QB room this 2023 offseason.
A former $128 million Pro Bowler and franchise quarterback happens to be near the Los Angeles Rams, hoping his current training lands him onto an NFL roster this late into the 2023 offseason.
Carson Wentz is in the L.A. neighborhood, with ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reporting Sunday, May 14 that the 2017 Pro Bowl passer is in L.A. working out — and has become open to the idea of being a backup quarterback for whoever signs him.
The Rams, though, have already answered if Wentz was ever a thought.
Rams All-In on Newcomer Stetson Bennett
The Rams have already addressed their quarterback room outside of Matthew Stafford — through both the draft and free agency after the three-day late April event.
First, the Rams opted to take Stetson Bennett in the fourth round. Then, on May 10, the Rams added one more passer in Brett Rypien — best known for backing up Russell Wilson with the Denver Broncos.
Long story short, the Rams clearly went with two passers who are considered non-threats for QB1. Bennett is coming in as depth and with the potential of becoming the QB of the future in the long run. Rypien has already gotten used to playing behind a past Super Bowl winner and brings needed depth in a room that lost both Baker Mayfield and John Wolford.
Of the two new additions, general manager Les Snead outlined this vision on The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday, May 11 for Bennett: Expecting him to become QB2 behind Stafford.
“I would say on paper that that is our vision. Anytime you go into the draft, you never know with a QB, there’s only so many of them,” Snead said to the longtime NFL Network personality. “But we did think that it could be very beneficial if we could find a young quarterback to develop as a backup. That way you don’t get into, let’s call it, renting QBs for a year. And also, with our cap situation, veteran backups do cost more in salary against the cap than players on their rookie contracts. So there’s a lot of variables in that.”
Snead added “But the vision was, hey, let’s try to find the best backup QB available, and if we can do that in the draft, that’s even more of a benefit to us. If not, we would’ve pivoted into a different direction.”
Rypien, meanwhile, is heading to the Rams on a one-year deal that pays him well above $1 million.
Could Carson Wentz Still Find His Way Into a Rams-Like Structure?
Wentz only comes to the Rams through this scenario: it’s late in the season and at least two of their passers — in this case Stafford and Bennett — are severely banged up and Wentz is still unsigned. Obviously, the Rams would hope there’s no repeat of their injury-ravaged 2022 season.
Wentz, though, could find some luck in a Rams-like structure if it means backing someone up. In this case, the Minnesota Vikings could come into play. Wentz would not only battle 2023 fifth-rounder Jaren Hall to back Kirk Cousins, but Wentz would be in an offense run by former Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.
There’s also the Cincinnati Bengals as a possibility. While the Bengals have their franchise passer in place in Joe Burrow, they still lost backup Brandon Allen to the San Francisco 49ers. Adding Wentz puts him with Burrow and Ex-Rams assistant Zac Taylor.