With what seems like the entire roster injured, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams have made a desperation move and claimed Baker Mayfield off waivers. Their season is a lost cause at this point, but can Baker Mayfield salvage some hope for next year? Let’s talk about what Baker could potentially bring to this team
What Can Baker Mayfield Bring To The Rams?
Baker Mayfield at this point in his career has entered into the “bust” category and people thought a change of scenery would benefit him, turns out it only made Mayfield look worse. He had the most weapons he’s ever had in Christian McCaffrey, DJ Moore, and Robbie Anderson and he played so bad they decided PJ Walker was a better option. However, you can’t put the entire blame on Baker Mayfield as he had to deal with Robbie Anderson and Christian McCaffrey leaving in the middle of his tenure with the team, and had to be coached by Matt Rhule.
However, Baker Mayfield brings the Rams a somewhat competent quarterback to finish the year so they wouldn’t have to put up with John Wolford for the remainder of the year. Baker Mayfield isn’t near what he was in his rookie year, he brings a bit more upside and flashy play potential than Wolford does. He might struggle a bit still because he is not a great option and he is dealing with an extremely depleted roster and a completely new system with four weeks left in the season. Sean McVay may be enough to unlock Baker Mayfield enough to get him back to his former self, but it is extremely unlikely he uplifts them too much more than John Wolford would have.
Will Baker Mayfield Be Able To Revive His Career In Los Angeles?
Baker Mayfield will have to do a lot to revitalize his career and gain the respect and trust of other teams again, but if there is anyone to help him do that Sean McVay is one of the best candidates to help him get there. Baker would have to do a lot in a four-game span and he would have to do it extremely well. The first step to re-establishing himself as a good QB would be leading this depleted Rams roster to at least two wins in the remainder of their schedule.
If Baker Mayfield can lead a team with Tutu Atwell and Ben Skowronek as the starting receivers and with Aaron Donald down on the defensive side, that would show teams that he’s a great leader and can elevate his teammates. Another reason this will be tough for him to do is that he has such little time left in the season and has to learn a whole new offense and lead them to wins in that four-week span. Ultimately, at this point, it’s unlikely he can revive his career, but it’s not impossible under the coaching of Sean McVay.
Is Baker Mayfield Capable Of Winning The Rams More Games?
Taking a look at their remaining schedule, the Rams were likely going to lose out the rest of the year, and it would have been even more unfortunate because they don’t even have their own first-round pick this year. However, with Baker Mayfield leading the team now they may have a chance to squeeze past the Denver Broncos on Christmas. The fact of the matter though, is that he is not that good of a quarterback and is only the starter because he is better than John Wolford. If not for that, he would be the third string on a QB-needy Carolina Panthers team.
