Will Rams sign Carson Wentz?

They had the opportunity to get Carson Wentz and passed on it then, so will the Los Angeles Rams open a spot on the roster for the fallen star now that his value has eroded and the team is in transition? That was a question many people had earlier this month when it was reported that Wentz was working out in Los Angeles and willing to accept a backup role.

As of today, Wentz remains a free agent and the Rams haven’t handed anything yet to rookie Stetson Bennett or free agent Brett Rypien, not that they have had a chance to earn anything this early in the offseason. Could Wentz be in L.A.’s plans eventually?

It seems most likely to me that Les Snead passed on Wentz in the 2016 draft once already and that he would have to be really desperate to add him to the Rams now.

Though the L.A. Rams should keep all options open with quarterback Matthew Stafford, let’s just assume for now that he’s the starting quarterback for 2023. Snead has emphasized that the Rams weren’t necessarily high on Bennett, a fourth round pick out of Georgia coming off of two national championship seasons, as a starter but on his ceiling as a backup.

“The vision was, hey, let’s try to find the best backup QB available, and if we can do that in the draft, that’s even more of a benefit to us,” as he told Rich Eisen.

Right there, that scenario with Stafford and Bennett would strongly suggest that L.A. doesn’t have a roster spot open for Wentz. The fact that the Rams also added Rypien and undrafted free agent Dresser Winn also means that the team has competition to push Bennett for that backup role and a third option on Sundays. Carson Wentz will have to accept a backup job in the NFL whether he likes it or not, but as of today there isn’t one of those for the taking in Los Angeles.

For Wentz to have an opportunity with the Rams, first the team would need to not have Stafford available—you can call it injury, a trade scenario, or something else—and then Wentz would have to be unsigned and the best remaining option. Technically, the Rams could prefer Matt Ryan (who is going into broadcasting but not retired), Teddy Bridgewater, or Joe Flacco, just as examples.

Or, the Rams would need to have Stafford and then not have Bennett or not feel comfortable with any of their backup options. Certainly the L.A. Rams are aware that they might not get Matthew Stafford for 17 games, so backup options will be important.

But so far, any rumors about the Rams and Wentz can’t go any further than that. Rumors. At least one, if not a few major breaking news items would have to happen before that’s a possibility. I do think Wentz will sign somewhere, but the L.A. Rams are not at the top of that list.