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The Rams made a change at quarterback before the 2021 NFL season. It has worked out well.
Matthew Stafford has been a strong starter for the Rams. He threw for 41 touchdowns during his first season in Los Angeles, and while he led the league with 17 interceptions, he still quarterbacked the team to a 12-5 record.
The Rams reached a Super Bowl with Jared Goff, but they may have a chance to win one with Stafford. But in the event that Stafford, 33, runs into any trouble in the playoffs, do they have anything behind him to keep the team afloat?
Here’s what you need to know about Stafford’s backup and the other quarterback options further down the Rams depth chart.
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Who is the Rams’ backup quarterback?
The Rams’ backup quarterback is John Wolford.
Wolford, 26, originally signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest in 2018, but he didn’t make the team. He landed with the Arizona Rattlers of the Alliance of American Football and led the league in passing touchdowns with 14 in eight games.
After the short-lived AAF was shuttered, Wolford joined the Rams. He has remained with the team since 2019 and worked his way up the depth chart to take over the backup quarterback job behind Jared Goff in 2020. He won his lone regular-season start, completing 22 of 38 passes for 231 yards and an interception in an 18-7 win over the Cardinals. He also ran for 56 yards on six attempts.
Wolford (6-1, 200 pounds) has thrown just 10 total pass attempts since that game. He was hurt during his lone playoff start for the Rams and replaced by an also-hobbled Goff before serving as Stafford’s backup in 2021.
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Rams QB depth chart
Matthew Stafford
Stafford has made a big difference for the Rams this year since replacing Goff. He had a rocky patch towards the end of the season during which he struggled with interceptions, but he has otherwise been rock-solid for Los Angeles.
During the playoffs, Stafford has completed 74.5 percent of his passes for 568 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s hoping to earn passage to his first Super Bowl with a win over the 49ers.
John Wolford
Wolford only played 24 snaps for the Rams in 2021. He completed 1 of 4 passes for 5 yards and an interception. All of his action came in blowouts during which the Rams scored at least 37 points.
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Bryce Perkins
Perkins, like Wolford, is an undrafted free agent. The Rams kept the 25-year-old on the active roster in 2021 after he impressed during the preseason.
Perkins has never played in an NFL game, but he was a two-year starter at Virginia and threw 47 touchdowns compared to 21 interceptions. He also has great mobility and ran for 1,692 yards and 20 touchdowns during his two college seasons. He hasn’t yet been active for an NFL game, and he probably won’t be unless either Stafford or Wolford gets hurt.
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