Rams coach Sean McVay looked at the clock, did quick math in his head and estimated that he had “plenty of time” to evaluate whether new quarterback Baker Mayfield will be ready to start Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I would lean toward that he’ll be active,” McVay told reporters Wednesday afternoon, 14 hours after Mayfield arrived in Los Angeles. “Now whether or not that means that he would play or he would be available in an emergency setting is something that we’re going to continue to work through.”
McVay wasn’t ready to make a final decision Wednesday, but saying he had “plenty of time” was probably a telling sign that the Rams are pushing to get Mayfield acclimated at a rapid pace. Mayfield was waived by the Carolina Panthers on Monday and claimed by the Rams on Tuesday and now could be starting Thursday night at SoFi Stadium.
“It would be unprecedented from my experiences because of everything that a quarterback is asked to do to bring him in such a short period of time and have him go out there, but I do think that he’d be capable of it if we asked,” McVay said. “But we’ll take that really one day at a time until tomorrow (Thursday).”
Mayfield, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns, was on the Rams’ practice field Wednesday sporting a No. 17 jersey. He joined a quarterbacks room that has Matthew Stafford on injured reserve, John Wolford, who’s dealing with a neck injury, Bryce Perkins and practice-squad player Case Cookus.
New face in LA. pic.twitter.com/l0N5wEw2YP
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 7, 2022
McVay said Wolford’s game status will be a determining factor in whether Mayfield will play against the Raiders. Wolford was listed as questionable on the final injury report for Week 14. Perkins is also an option, but he struggled as a passer during his first career start in Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Besides Mayfield’s playing status for Thursday, many wondered why the Rams decided to claim the former Heisman-Trophy winner who has had a shaky five-year NFL career, including a tumultuous exit in Cleveland and being benched twice this season by Carolina.
McVay said it wasn’t because the Rams wanted to block the rival San Francisco 49ers from claiming Mayfield. The injury-riddled Rams are 3-9 with a six-game losing streak and likely aren’t concerned about the 49ers’ quarterback dilemma after the injury to Jimmy Garoppolo.
“That’s not true,” McVay said. “Those guys are balling. They’re doing their thing.”
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McVay said adding Mayfield was about needing a healthy quarterback and seeing what they have in Mayfield for the next month.
“When you have a player of his caliber become available and you look at just the circumstances and the situation surrounding our quarterback room, we felt like it was the right move for us,” McVay said. “I’ve always respected his game, like a lot of things that he brings to the table.
“I’ve always really liked him. What I can say, in all sincerity, is that there’s an excitement about being able to work with him for what we know is five more weeks. Whether he plays in five games or four games is to be determined, but I’m excited about that.”
More to come soon.