Heading into the 2016 season, the Los Angeles Rams will have all spotlights on them. While the city will witness their first National Football League franchise in over 20 seasons, many uncertainties remain on the roster.
Perhaps the most important dilemma facing Rams head coach Jeff Fisher is the scenario regarding the quarterback. While Case Keenum and Nick Foles are the top choices as of now, many signs are pointing towards the front office selecting a quarterback during the 2016 NFL Draft.
General manager Les Snead was present at the NFL owner’s meetings in Boca Raton and had this to say regarding their quarterback scenario, courtesy of Will Brinson of CBSSports.com:
“Right now Case is going to come and be our starting quarterback opening day when we do OTAs. He earned it,” Snead said. “We were a slumping football team at the end of last year and he comes in and wins three out of four and basically drove us down to kick a game-winning field goal to win four straight and we missed it.”
While months remain until the regular season begins, the vote of confidence could be key for Keenum. However, Snead’s comments should be taken with a grain of salt, as the team will not unveil any potential plans regarding the future of the franchise.
Heading into a quarterback battle during training camp, Keenum has a strong foundation to build off of.
The 28-year-old led the Rams to victories in three of the final four games last season.
In perhaps his best start, Keenum tossed for 234 passing yards and two touchdowns in a 31-23 victory at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Texas native then followed that performance with an impressive road victory against the Seattle Seahawks. In that game, Keenum went 14-for-23, with 103 passing yards and one touchdown.
While Fisher intends to keep the offense as a run-first team, the spotlight will certainly be on how the quarterback produces. With Todd Gurley in their backfield, the quarterback position will definitely have to live up to the spotlight of Los Angeles.