THOUSAND OAKS — Quarterback Bryce Perkins has forced the Rams into tough decisions the past two summers with his stellar preseason performances.
Now the team is mulling another decision involving Perkins and remembering why they kept Perkins on the active roster might help determine their starting quarterback for Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“You’ll see Sunday,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Friday after being asked if Perkins will get the start against the Chiefs.
The Rams (3-7) remember clearly why Perkins earned a roster spot as the third-string quarterback and perhaps they want to keep some mystery before entering Arrowhead Stadium as 15 ½-point underdogs against the 8-2 Chiefs.
From the three quarterbacks on the Rams’ current active roster, Perkins is the only one who hasn’t been on the injury report this week. Starting quarterback Matthew Stafford was ruled out because he’s in the concussion protocol, and John Wolford missed last week’s loss against the New Orleans Saints because of a neck injury and didn’t log a full practice until Friday (Thursday was a jog-through workout).
“I’ll be better equipped after practice,” McVay said after being asked Friday for an evaluation on Wolford.
As for an evaluation on Perkins, McVay said: “He’s got a great way about himself. He’s got good composure, good command, good athleticism. I thought what he did last week, he did a lot of good things. I thought that was reflected and when he’s played in preseason opportunities, so I’m looking forward to (him playing) if that’s the case.”
All signs point to Perkins, a 2020 undrafted free agent from the University of Virginia, making his first career start Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes standing on the opposite sideline.
“I love the rough, rowdy environments,” Perkins said. “It’s going to be good to go out there and just kind of experience it all. I’ve heard from multiple people that Arrowhead (Stadium) is like one of the loudest stadiums that they’ve played in. So, to get a chance to go out there, feel the energy, that’s what you live for, those movie-type football scenarios. So having fun and making sure (I’m) going out there and enjoying the moment, but going out there and making sure it’s not too big and execute like we need to execute.”
Keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster has its benefits, especially in emergency situations, like last week when the Rams were down to one quarterback after Stafford left in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. But keeping three quarterbacks means one less roster spot at other positions.
Most teams prefer to have the depth at other positions when creating their initial 53-man roster after the preseason, but the Rams didn’t want to lose Wolford because of his familiarity with McVay’s offense and Perkins flashed intriguing upside with his impressive preseason performances. Perkins likely would have gotten claimed by another team if the Rams decided to waive him in the summer.
Wolford’s knowledge of the offense was favored again in Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals after Stafford was ruled out because of a concussion. Wolford struggled in the start and only had a few productive drives, one being the opening drive with Perkins mixed in as a runner from the quarterback position.
“He’s kind of quiet, but he’s focused,” Rams middle linebacker Bobby Wagner said about Perkins. “As you guys (have) seen in the preseason, when he gets his opportunities, he’s ready. That’s one of the things that I admire about him is he’s constantly working, constantly working on this craft, ready for his opportunity. We get to go against him a lot when he was scout team and so just seeing how he prepared even for that, trying to give us looks and things of that nature. We’re confident in him and we’re excited he gets this opportunity.”
Perkins has had a roster spot the past two seasons as a third-string quarterback. It might be time for the Rams to allow Perkins an opportunity to prove himself with a regular-season start, and not as a running quarterback off the bench or a backup playing in an emergency situation.
Perkins lacks experience, but perhaps his athleticism provides a boost for the Rams’ stagnant offense. And one way of keeping Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce on the sidelines is by controlling the clock with a productive running game.
“Watching him for a while, just the things he does, how he throws the ball, the plays he gets out of, plays he makes with his legs, it is definitely like something that’s like, ‘Wow,’” Perkins said about Mahomes. “But it’s going to be fun, first time seeing him in person, all the things and the great things he has accomplished. Take some (tips that I) even apply to my game in college, and now trying some of the things. But it’s going to be fun to get out there, see him in person, and I know our defense is ready for it.”
Perkins struggled with accuracy in his one quarter-plus of work against the Saints, including a misfire to wide receiver Ben Skowronek, which Perkins brought up when he spoke to reporters earlier this week. He doesn’t want to be known solely as a running quarterback, and he displayed improvements as a thrower in August.
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The Rams don’t want to spoil the element of surprise by naming a quarterback two days before facing the mighty Chiefs. They need all the advantages they can get as heavy underdogs in Kansas City.
But the Rams likely know it’s time to see what Perkins can do in the regular season and perhaps the coaches are enjoying the challenge of revamping the offense to fit his skill set.
“We’re continuing to work through those things, but I think you want Bryce to be able to go play fast, confident, and have that clarity,” McVay said. “I thought he did that. I think one of the things that you can’t deny about Bryce, he’s one of those guys that elevates people around him. He’s got a great game day demeanor where nothing is too big for him and you can see his teammates believe in him and he brings a good positive spark to us if he’s got to go.”
INJURY UPDATES
Tight end Tyler Higbee (knee), wide receiver Allen Robinson (ankle), left tackle Ty Nsekhe (ankle) and offensive guard Matt Skura (knee) were listed as questionable on the final injury report for Week 12.
Center Brian Allen (thumb) and linebacker Travin Howard (hip) were ruled out for Sunday.
McVay expressed optimism about Higbee, Robinson and Skura playing against the Chiefs, but mentioned that Nsekhe will be a true game-time decision. Rookie seventh-round pick A.J. Arcuri is a candidate to start at left tackle if Nsekhe can’t play, according to McVay.