Things are relatively settled at QB for the Rams. We've got our starter in Marc Bulger, a starter the team's invested in quite heavily. If the o-line isn't fixed and a blocking fullback isn't added, Bulger's a lost investment...any QB would be.
The issue for the Rams at QB is the backup.
Did anyone catch this hidden gem in Bernie Miklasz' PD column from Saturday, Feb 2?
I'm ambivalent about Gus Frerotte. He's probably fine as a backup, as long as the other parts - i.e. the blocking - of the offense are working. However, Frerotte's got a $2.6 million cap value for the coming season. He's off the books after that. I'd rather save some of that money, at least a million, for other team needs.
Todd Collins cost the Redskins $1.475 million in cap space last season, all but $275K of that being salary. No telling whether or not he'd play for a similar deal. In terms of cap value, the Rams likely wouldn't get the full difference between Collins and Frerotte, since much of Gus' cap value comes from his signing bonus in 2006. Still, a few pennies here a couple hundred thousand there, and you've got enough cap space to make an important move.
The other benefit Collins offers is that he's a Saunders guy. Played for Saunders in Kansas City before coming to the Redskins in 2007. The backup filled in admirably for an injured Jason Campbell this season. He knows Saunders' offense pretty well, which could be a plus if the Rams get into a situation where they need to employ their backup QB.
The 49ers just paid a QB $2 million per season, signing Shaun Hill to a 3 year deal. He'll compete with Alex Smith for the starting job. Oh how the wonder boy's stock has fallen. Hill compares himself to Marc Bulger in the article linked above, noting his excitement about playing for SF's new offensive coordinator, Mike Martz. Niners fans seem to like the deal too, at least the part about forcing Smith to compete for his job.
For now at least, the Rams are set at starting QB. Hopefully, sack after sack after sack didn't completely destroy Marc Bulger, who's still in his prime years and playing on an expensive contract. If the line and the other blocking components, such as the fullback and tight ends, aren't ironed out this offseason, Bulger might face some serious problems. And the Rams would be left with a tackle dummy at starting QB.
Here's Bulger's cap value for the remainder of his contract.
- $9M
- $8.5M
- $10.5M
- $11M
- $11M
- $11.5M