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12/06 16:59 CST Injury-plagued LA Rams claim QB Baker Mayfield off waivers
Injury-plagued LA Rams claim QB Baker Mayfield off waivers
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) --- The Los Angeles Rams claimed quarterback Baker
Mayfield off waivers Tuesday, adding the former No. 1 pick to their options
behind injured Matthew Stafford for the rest of the season.
Mayfield, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner and former Cleveland Browns starter,
was released by the Panthers on Monday at his request after seven disappointing
games with Carolina.
The struggling Rams host the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night, and it's
unclear whether Mayfield could be ready to participate for a team already down
to backup quarterbacks John Wolford --- who has been battling a neck injury and
other ailments --- and Bryce Perkins.
"My gosh, you'd probably know as much as I would on that right now," offensive
coordinator Liam Coen told reporters when asked if Mayfield might play
Thursday. "I couldn't tell you. I haven't spoken to him. I've only heard great
things about him, his professional nature in Carolina and some of the things
that went on there."
Coach Sean McVay wasn't scheduled to speak to reporters Tuesday after he
acquired a quarterback whose talents greatly intrigued him coming out of
college at Oklahoma, but both of his coordinators praised the acquisition.
"I've got a lot of respect for him," Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris
said. "This guy was a very good football player. Brought Cleveland from pretty
much the ashes. This game is sometimes thankless. We get a chance to acquire
guys who've got nothing to lose and something to prove is always awesome."
After league-wide speculation about Mayfield joining the contending San
Francisco 49ers or Baltimore Ravens, Mayfield instead will attempt to help the
injury-plagued Rams (3-9). Los Angeles has lost six straight games during
what's shaping up as the worst season in NFL history for a defending Super Bowl
champion.
The Rams have almost no reason to tank the remaining season because their
first-round pick belongs to Detroit, and they clearly need help at quarterback.
Stafford is almost certainly out for the season with a bruised spinal cord, and
Wolford and Perkins have been fairly ineffective while combining to start three
of the past four games, all losses. Wolford passed for 178 yards with no
touchdowns in last Sunday's loss to Seattle.
But it's unclear how much help Mayfield can provide: He had a dismal season
with the Panthers, who acquired him for a fifth-round pick in July after the
Browns' acquisition of Deshaun Watson ended his up-and-down tenure in
Cleveland, where he was a four-year starter and engineered the end of the
franchise's 18-year playoff drought in 2020.
Mayfield won the first-string job in training camp with Carolina, but went 1-5
as a starter while throwing six touchdown passes and six interceptions. He was
outplayed in recent weeks by both Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker.
McVay frequently received credit for Kirk Cousins' development into a solid NFL
starter during McVay's time as Washington's offensive coordinator. As a head
coach, McVay led the Rams to four winning seasons, three playoff berths and a
Super Bowl appearance with Jared Goff at the controls. McVay then became the
youngest coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl title last season after
trading Goff for Stafford, who had one of the most impressive seasons of his
lengthy career.
Whether this latest partnership lasts only five games or goes longer, McVay
will have the opportunity to decide whether Mayfield can still be the
quarterback McVay thought he would be coming out of Oklahoma.
"It's a chance to evaluate," Coen said. "You're always looking for competition
at every position, and you're looking for a chance to evaluate talent. That was
the goal. ... We feel good about our room and the quarterback that we have for
the future of the Los Angeles Rams, which is Matthew Stafford, but we feel
obviously pretty good about somebody to come in here and compete at a high
level for us."
The 34-year-old Stafford is under contract through the 2026 season, but his
injuries and two trips through the concussion protocol --- even though the Rams
haven't confirmed Stafford ever had a concussion this season --- have sparked
widespread speculation about how long he plans to continue his career.
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