Texans Hold Potential Solution to Rams QB Woes
By Josh McSwain
The Los Angeles Rams were absolutely putrid on Monday Night Football. Their much anticipated return to LA started off with a shutout by the San Francisco 49ers, largely due to awful quarterback play. But the Houston Texans may be able to provide the Rams with a solution:
It is well known that the Rams do not think that Jared Goff is ready to be an NFL starter. That is why he was inactive on Monday night while Case Keenum got the start and Sean Mannion was the backup. The Rams offensive line is also not very good in pass protection, so they also are trying to prevent Goff from taking a bunch of hits early and winding up like David Carr.
But the Rams are not an untalented team. They have a great running back in Todd Gurley and a stingy defense led by all-pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald that also features playmakers in Robert Quinn at defensive end, Alec Ogletree at linebacker and Trumaine Johnson in the secondary. They can win now, but not with the level of quarterback play they have.
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That’s where the Texans could help out–I propose the Texans trade Tom Savage to the Rams.
As far as when Goff is going to be ready, nobody knows. They seem content not to rush him into action (unlike the Eagles who said they would sit Carson Wentz all year), so they just need an adequate bridge quarterback. Savage could be that guy.
Why make the deal?
Honestly, Houston doesn’t really need to hold on to Savage. This is Brock Osweiler‘s team, and if we bank on him succeeding then he will be the starter for the next four years and perhaps longer. While it would be nice to have Savage around as a backup, the Texans have already paid Brandon Weeden for that.
From Savage’s perspective, he doesn’t figure to see the field in Houston unless Osweiler somehow turns absolutely awful, which I doubt happens. So if he goes to LA where he could start for a while and keep the seat warm for a rookie, at least he gets some action.
Why not?
The argument against a deal like this would be, what if Osweiler doesn’t pan out and after 2017 the Texans get rid of him, what then? Well, at that point you look to draft and develop another guy. Then, either he starts immediately or Weeden could hold down the fort for a year while the rookie develops. As a guy who knows the system, Weeden would be the best bet as a stopgap or a backup.
Savage’s value
As far as what the Texans could reasonably get for Savage, maybe a fourth rounder, third likely being a bit ambitious. Savage had a very good preseason which will help his value, and be getting the draft pick the Texans could fill another need somewhere else to help the team win. Savage is a luxury, but not a necessity for this team.