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Los Angeles Rams: Should Jared Goff be the starter in Week 1?

By Nick Ziegler

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Jared Goff (California) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Los Angeles Rams as the number one overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Jared Goff (California) poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Los Angeles Rams as the number one overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Rams selected Jared Goff with the first-overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft but is he ready to start in Week 1?

As expected, the Los Angeles Rams selected Jared Goff with the first-overall pick on Thursday night after giving up a haul to get the pick from the Tennessee Titans. Quarterback was certainly a position of need for the Rams, as they were a good team in 2015 even without much production from the position.

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Last season, Nick Foles and Case Keenum were the starting quarterbacks for the Rams, with Foles getting a majority of the starts. Foles was the piece the Rams got in return for Sam Bradford from the Philadelphia Eagles, but he didn’t perform too well for the Rams. Last season, Foles totaled a 4-7 record, seven touchdown passes, 10 interceptions, and 69.0 QB rating. The Rams stuck with Foles hoping that he would find the level of play that we saw with the Eagles in 2013, but that never happened.

Keenum would get his shot towards the end of the season in 2015, and played fairly well. In 2015, Keenum had a winning record as a starter by going 3-2. He outperformed Foles as a starter, as he totaled four touchdown passes, one interception, and an 87.7 QB rating.

Los Angeles Rams
Apr 28, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher at press conference at Courtyard L.A. Live after selecting quarterback Jared Goff (not pictured) as the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

With Goff being drafted, many believe that Foles will be on the trading block for the Rams, as he could get them a late-round pick in return. The Rams have two fourth-round picks and two six-round remaining in the NFL Draft, as they would likely try to get at least one more pick.

Keenum played well in 2015 but the Rams didn’t believe that he would be the answer for them at the position moving forward. While the drafting of Goff was for a need at the quarterback position, it also gives them a good player to market on their move to Los Angeles.

The Rams are in a difficult division with the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, and they will be asking a lot of their rookie quarterback. After giving up a lot for him, Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher is expecting Goff to be ready to start in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers.

“He may start on Monday night,” Fisher said of the Rams’ Monday Night Football opener against the San Francisco 49ers to Conor Orr of NFL.com. “That’s the goal. We understand the environment, believe me. He does. We’ve had lengthy conversations. If I had concerns about whether Jared could handle this, I wouldn’t be talking about Jared right now. He can handle it.”

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Unlike most quarterbacks being draft first-overall, Goff is setup to succeed. The Rams were not one of the bottom-feeders in the NFL last season, as they have a fairly complete team. Goff will also be in the backfield with Todd Gurley, who is emerged as one of the best running backs in the league as a rookie last season.

Generally, starting a rookie quarterback in Week 1 is something teams and coaches would like to avoid, but for the Rams, Goff is positioned nicely to succeed right away.

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