The St. Louis Rams are dealing with an injury in a position they cannot afford to lose anyone at. The team has already lost starter Sam Bradford for the season after he reinjured his surgically repaired ACL. Veteran Shaun Hill was given the keys to the offense in his absence and then left the game against the Minnesota Vikings with an injury as well. Already weak at the quarterback spot following the loss of Bradford, will St. Louis make a trade or signing before it is too late?
Hill's tenure as the Rams starting quarterback lasted all of two quarters in Week 1. The veteran quarterback stepped in to replace Bradford and then suffered a thigh injury causing him to leave the game and not return. He had completed 8 of 13 passes for 81 yards and an interception before exiting. Hill stood on the sideline well into the third quarter as Austin Davis stepped in to replace him. Head coach Jeff Fisher is uncertain what Hill's status is going forward.
"Shaun was uncomfortable the second-to-last drive [of the first half]," Fisher said, via ESPN.com. "At halftime, we decided it would not be a good idea for him to return. He has a quad strain. I'll know more information on it tomorrow."
Fisher has been in Hill's corner since Bradford went down, so if the quarterback is healthy, he will remain the starter. However, behind him is a lot to be desired. Davis stepped in and did not perform much better as the Vikings routed the Rams 34-6. Behind him is newly signed Case Keenum who might be good enough to start, but failed to inspire much confidence during his time with the Houston Texans. The Rams might be forced to make a move and they have options if they have to.
The Rams have denied the idea of a trade up until now, but the injury to Hill brought up the lack of depth on Sunday. The best move St. Louis could make right now is acquiring Mark Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles. The quarterback is sitting at third string while Chip Kelly opens the doors to a trade. He has experience with St. Louis' offensive coordinator so the system would not be hard to pick up. Despite the past two seasons, Sanchez has had success as a starting quarterback as well as playoff experience.
They could also try and make a play for Christian Ponder who is sitting third string on the Minnesota Vikings. Ponder is not as good as Sanchez, but does have starting experience and an expiring contract that would make him a cheap pick up. Both Ponder and Sanchez are similar quarterbacks to Bradford and Hill and would do no harm being on the roster for the Rams.
