Although the Los Angeles Rams may have come up short in Super Bowl 53, the 2018 NFL season did prove Jared Goff’s capability of leading this team to the promised land.
Goff has experienced quite an eventful start to his career from being labeled a bust after a disastrous rookie year to leading one of the NFL’s most high-powered offenses in back-to-back years. It appears the 2019 NFL season has provided him with a new challenge to look forward to.
The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft has proven himself to be a bonafide starter and one of the most promising, young quarterbacks in the league. Regardless, it seems the time has come for him to expand his role on the team.
According to Stu Jackson of the team’s official website, Eric Weddle has noticed Goff developing into quite the leader for the Rams:
“He has seamlessly and naturally become a leader because of the way he goes about his business just being Jared Goff, and I think that’s what resonates with his teammates.”
Despite all the promise and the position he plays, there has never been much talk about Goff’s status as the leader on this Rams offense. While this may be due to the fact that he is working alongside the likes of Sean McVay and Todd Gurley, his calm demeanor and laid-back approach likely have not done him any favors.
Fortunately, Weddle’s comments indicate that his personality is what has allowed Goff to organically grow into the type of leader that has now been embraced by his teammates. This could very well be the final step into him solidifying himself as the franchise quarterback he drafted to be.
The 24-year-old has already displayed all the qualities expected of a leader when it comes to both production and staying focused on the task at hand. There has never been a shortage of headlines surrounding him playing in a big market city like Los Angeles, however, he was able to block out all the noise to help lead a resurgence on offense and then followed through on the hype by taking his team to a Super Bowl.
Goff knows full well that the Rams still have plenty of work to do if they hope to make it back and get the job done. Regardless, his emergence as a leader will undoubtedly pay huge dividends for this offense and the team as a whole moving forward.
Another factor in him becoming the team’s undisputed leader is that he signed a long-term contract extension to stay with the Rams before the start of the season, so he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
