2015 St Louis Rams: WR Givens Traded, Quick Returning...What's Next?

While it jolted Rams fans Saturday morning, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise that they are moving on from Chris Givens. With Brian Quick returning to the field, something had to give. It was clear that Quick, Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin, and Stedman Bailey would be ahead of Givens on the depth chart.

Toss in that Tavon is now the primary deep threat on the team as well as Fisher's preference to have 'depth' players contribute on Special Teams - a la Bradley Marquez - and the writing was on the wall.

Givens played 35% of snaps Week 1, roughly 30% snaps Week 2, and didn't crack 25% last week against the Steelers. With his play time dwindling and his role on the offense diminishing, it was time for the Rams to move on. I credit Snead for being able to get something for Givens now - even if it is only a 7th rounder - as opposed to letting him walk in the offseason for nothing. Not to mention giving the kid a chance to be successful in a better situation.

But the move begs the question: What Now?

It largely depends on how Fisher handles Quick returning. Will it be a Toddy Gurley type of situation where he is eased into action? Or will he be thrown into the fray without reservation? If I was a gambling man, I'd bet on the former. Quick will likely assume Givens' workload and probably leech a few from Stedman as well.

As the season progresses though, things are going to change. Quick will eventually resume his starting spot opposite Britt, and Tavon's snaps are unlikely to decrease. That leaves Stedman as the overachieving 4th WR with limited snaps.

Now it's no secret that the Rams won't likely employ many 4 WR sets this season, protection Schemes dictate as much. But can Frank Cignetti adjust the play-calling to maximize the skills of all 4 players? He has shown more creativity in 3 weeks than Brian Schottenheimer did in 3 years so I think he's up to the challenge.

Now I'm not saying that Quick returning will solve all of the woes on Offense, but he certainly can't hurt matters. I'm confident that this wouldn't have happened to Quick. OK...maybe as a rookie, but not as a 4th year player. Fisher has consistently been enamored with Quick's potential and it will fall on Cignetti to use the talent available to him.

Regardless of how it's handled in Arizona tomorrow, this is a situation worth monitoring as the season progresses.