The Los Angeles Rams wrapped up their preseason slate after suffering a 17-12 loss to the Denver Broncos, but now get the opportunity to completely focus on the upcoming 2021 season.
Along with preparations, the front office and coaching staff must work together to cut down the 80-man roster to 53 and they have several tough decisions to make. Normally, the Rams only carry two quarterbacks on the team but Bryce Perkins may force their hand after his stellar preseason showings.
John Wolford is already penciled in as the backup to Matthew Stafford, but Perkins has turned heads within the organization for his poise and running ability when pressured in the pocket. According to Cameron DaSilva of USA Today, head coach Sean McVay believes the team is going need to think long and hard about Perkins’ future with the franchise:
“It has not been made yet and to Bryce’s credit, he’s definitely making a very difficult decision because you know you’ve got Matthew, you’ve got John,” he said. “Feel excellent about those guys, but I think Bryce can be really proud of the body of work he put on tape throughout the three weeks of the preseason. He’s continued to grow. I think it’s a real credit to Kevin O’Connell and Zac Robinson. He’s a resilient competitor. You can see it, and I thought it was on display again tonight. … Definitely going to make it a tough decision for us.”
In the loss to the Broncos, Perkins showed how comfortable he was operating the offense by finding his receivers on a consistent basis while also being able to extend plays with his legs. That type of dual-threat is something McVay cherishes and with the team having being bitten by the injury bug last season, it would make sense to keep a quarterback like Perkins in case of emergency.
In order to make room for Perkins, Los Angeles would need to cut a talented player so it will be interesting to see which way they go in the coming days.
