To kick off the NFL newscycle on Friday morning, Joe Flacco re-signed with the Cleveland Browns. Eight hours later, news broke that Derek Carr is dealing with a serious shoulder injury that may sideline him for at least the start of the season with the New Orleans Saints.
However, neither of those developments necessarily guarantees that the Browns or Saints will draft a quarterback in the first round. That means that if a club drafting later in the first round, such as the Rams at 26, wants to take Shedeur Sanders, Jaxson Dart or even Jalen Milroe, all three could still be there.
Cleveland owns the No. 2 overall selection. New Orleans is scheduled to draft seven slots later, at 9. While the Browns now have Flacco and Kenny Pickett, the Saints have solid options, too.
Despite a new head coach in Kellen Moore, at least one analyst believes New Orleans should start Spencer Rattler in 2025 rather than take a quarterback in the first round.
“I’m not bringing a QB into their current situation,” tweeted ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid on Friday night. “Trade back, start Rattler, stockpile picks, create a flexible cap in ‘25 and ‘26. They desperately need to rebuild (have needed to since 2022).”
But just as the Browns, Saints and Giants – who own the third selection -- don’t need to draft quarterbacks in the first round, neither do the Rams. Sean McVay and Les Snead secured the most impactful NFL transaction this offseason when they agreed to terms with Matthew Stafford on a new contract. And while Stafford is in a year-to-year arrangement, the Rams have a solid backup in Jimmy Garoppolo should Stafford sustain an injury.
Another option for the Rams is to take a quarterback after the first round, such as Louisville’s Tyler Shough. Called by some a great fit for McVay’s system and coaching staff, Shough made a pre-draft visit to New Orleans on Friday. Inside Dianna Russini said that Shough could be the sleeper in a shallow quarterback group.
“Recently I spoke with an NFL head coach who believes Shough will become the best QB in this class, Russini tweeted Friday night. “Shough was with the Saints today.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as Friday’s NFL Quarterback Developments Shouldn’t Affect Rams.