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St. Louis Rams Roster Preview – Quarterbacks

By Matt LaPan

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Quarterbacks on the Roster: Austin Davis, Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion

The St. Louis Rams quarterback situation was a disaster in 2014. After losing Sam Bradford for another season due to a preseason injury, the Rams were forced to turn to Austin Davis and Shaun Hill to try to stem the tide. Despite their best efforts, that simply was not effective for Jeff Fisher and the Rams.

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The Austin and Hill led Rams finished 23rd in the NFL with 3,400 total passing yards. The 212.5 yards per game average was also good for 23rd in the NFL with Davis leading the way at just over 200 yards per game in 10 games. Hill was not far behind in his time, averaging just over 184 yards per game in nine games. That ranked Davis 30th and Hill 32nd of the 33 qualifying quarterbacks in the NFL.

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2015 brings the dawn of a new era for the Rams. Sam Bradford is gone after six frustrating, injury-plagued season following a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the trade the Rams exchanged quarterbacks, getting Nick Foles back from Philadelphia.

Foles is entering his 4th NFL season with the previous three coming in Philadelphia. A shoulder injury in 2014 cost him half of a season, but he still managed to throw for 2,163 yards — an average of just over 270 yards per game. His best season came in 2013, when he threw for 2,891 yards in 13 games for the Eagles. He had 27 touchdowns to just two interceptions. In their careers, none of the three quarterbacks on the Rams roster in 2014 have ever thrown for more than 21 touchdowns — a feat accomplished once by Sam Bradford.

Foles is widely known for his ability to stretch the field deep to the outside, a skill set that fits perfectly with the Rams current wide receivers. He will have deep threat receivers Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey at his disposal and will look to build on the 43 receptions over 20 yards that the Rams had in 2014. Foles had 29 of those completions in just eight games in 2014 and had 52 in 13 games in 2013.

The backup spot will be up for grabs heading into Training Camp and will likely be between Davis and 2015 3rd-round pick Sean Mannion. Mannion was drafted 89th overall by the Rams following a prolific passing career at Oregon State. In his four-year career at Oregon State Mannion amassed 13,600 passing yards, including 4,662 yards during his Junior season.

St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Despite taking a step back during his Senior season, Mannion is known for his great arm strength and accuracy. Mannion has never had a season where he completed less than 62% of his passes, setting a career-high of 66.3% in his Junior season.

His decision making came into question, at times, as he relied too much on his arm strength and forced throws into coverage. While Mannion is not ready to assume a starting role, he is a perfect fit behind Foles for the 2015 season and should pass Davis and Keenum with ease.

Projected Depth Chart: 

QB1 – Nick Foles

QB2 – Sean Mannion

QB3 – Austin Davis

Not On Roster – Case Keenum

Next: Where Does Foles Rank Among Starting QBs?

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