NFL News: Will St. Louis Rams Replace Sam Bradford Via Free Agency?
An MRI on St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford showed he has a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee after injuring the leg Saturday night.
Shaun Hill will take over as the starting quarterback.
This is the same leg that Bradford tore his ACL last season in a game against the Carolina Panthers. Bradford, a No. 1 overall pick, has played well in the NFL, but his career has been highlighted with injuries. Injuries to the leg and shoulder have been the most notable.
Bradford won the 2010 Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for his performance that year. Unfortunately, he just can't stay on the field.
The Rams are no strangers to injured quarterbacks. In 1999, their starting quarterback Trent Green injured his knee in the preseason and was labeled out for the entire regular season. Although the season looked lost, undrafted quarterback Kurt Warner took over the starting role and put together a season like we've never seen before. The undrafted Warner, who had only thrown 11 passes, went on to throw 41 touchdowns and 13 interceptions that season, and win the NFL MVP.
What are the Rams' options? Latin Post.com takes a look at some possible names and free agents that the Rams could fill in Bradford's spot with:
Shaun Hill
Is Shaun Hill the next Kurt Warner? Probably not, but Rams fans know to never give up.
Hill is a veteran quarterback, who is also undrafted. For the most part, Hill has been a career backup since 2005. He's thrown 41 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in his career. The Rams knew there was a high chance that Bradford would be injured, so it's no surprised they invested in a great backup quarterback.
The injury couldn't come at a worse time because free agent options are so limited and the draft is already over. Bradford is still scheduled to make more than $26 million from the Rams, and he isn't a free agent until 2016.
Tim Tebow
Former Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow is still a free agent. The last time we saw Tebow starting in action for the Denver Broncos, he led the Denver Broncos to the playoffs. His incredible victory and upset over the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime certainly turned some heads. Tebow doesn't have a history of terrible injuries, and he's a lot more mobile than Hill is. Unfortunately, he doesn't know the Rams playbook. Bringing in Tebow at this time would be a huge risk.
The Rams had the opportunity to select Robert Griffin III No. 2 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft.
The NFC West is widely recognized as the toughest division in the NFL. Both the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers were in the NFC Championship game last season. Even the Arizona Cardinals feature a terrific defense and will be a force in the NFC West.
Prediction
It's sad to see Bradford hurt, yet again. This is his second torn ACL in a 10 month period. Most likely the Rams will not re-sign him in two years because of his detrimental health. With free agent quarterback options so limited, Shaun Hill will be the man in St. Louis this season.
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