EARTH CITY, Mo. -- We're not breaking any new ground when we say that the St. Louis Rams enter the offseason with their biggest roster question (among many) remaining the same as what it was a year ago.
Which is to ask, how can the Rams bolster their talent and production at quarterback? Last year, they did a complete makeover of the quarterback room, trading for Nick Foles and Case Keenum and drafting Sean Mannion in the third round. They even brought in Chris Weinke as the new quarterbacks coach.
That change has led to one of the least productive quarterback groups in the NFL. Keenum and Foles have offered an occasional spark but those have been far too sparse.
So that begs the question of how the Rams can change things this offseason? Well, if you're hoping the answer is going to come in the form of a pending free agent, it's probably unlikely and if it does, it won't be cheap.
ESPN NFL Insider Mike Sando offered an interesting look at some quarterbacks scheduled to be unrestricted free agents and how much they'll cost if they do manage to hit the open market.
Washington's Kirk Cousins, Denver's Brock Osweiler, the Jets' Ryan Fitzpatrick and old friend Sam Bradford are among the names that could be available. It's unlikely that any of those players will just become available on the open market but if they do, the Rams don't seem well-positioned to make a run at any of them (and let's be honest, the Bradford ship has sailed anyway).
Fitzpatrick would have been a nice fit last year and would be again but it's hard to see the Jets letting him walk given the success they've had this year. For all of the teams mentioned, letting their quarterback go would only create a bigger hole at the game's most important position. Which is why the Rams are probably going to have to get creative and bold if they want to find a more permanent quarterback fix for 2016 and beyond.
I.C.Y.M.I.
A roundup of Tuesday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... We began the morning with a look at how Rob Boras has given a slight lift to the Rams' offense. ... In the Ram-blings, we examined Steven Jackson's opportunity with the Patriots. ... The Rams moved up to No. 22 in this week's ESPN NFL Power Rankings. ... The Pro Bowl teams were revealed with three Rams making the list.
Elsewhere:
Patriots reporter Mike Reiss offered an early look at Jackson and New England with the help of yours truly.
Jackson will get to wear his traditional No. 39 for the Patriots.
The Rams' most recent win dropped them out of the top 10 in the projected 2016 NFL draft order.
Matt Bowen looks at the NFL's scariest offenses.
At 101sports.com, Jeff Fisher hosted his weekly radio show.
At stltoday.com, Jim Thomas participated on his weekly chat.
Thomas writes that offensive lineman Brian Folkerts is enjoying his time playing for the hometown team.