Leading into the Rams’ second preseason game, Sean McVay revealed that John Wolford would start against the Texans – a somewhat surprising development after Bryce Perkins handled every snap in the opener against the Chargers. Perkins would be handed the reins in the second half against Houston, giving the two quarterbacks an even split of playing time.
McVay made it seem like this was simply a chance for Wolford to gain experience after not playing at all last preseason, but perhaps this decision was more about the backup quarterback situation and a competition between Wolford and Perkins. The Rams haven’t definitively committed to Wolford as QB2 and it’s not as if they’re paying him like one, so Perkins might be more than just a third-stringer.
After another impressive performance in a 24-20 loss on Friday night, Perkins may have made things even more interesting. When asked about Wolford’s performance, McVay said he liked what he saw, but he couldn’t help talking about Perkins and added that the backup quarterback spot is something the team is definitely evaluating.
“Overall, I felt like he had good command, made good decisions, saw the coverages the right way. And then there were some instances where we can help him out a little bit more around him,” McVay said of Wolford. “But I thought both he and Bryce did a nice job and for Bryce to be able to kind of lead that scoring drive and make some of those plays, you just kind of have a playmaker. Good things happen and he instills that belief with guys around him. So it’s definitely something that we’re continuing to evaluate.”
There’s no denying Perkins went up against a weaker defense in the second half, and he might’ve gotten better protection up front, but he also made things happen. He threw for 123 yards on only 13 attempts compared to Wolford’s 142 yards on 22 attempts. And Perkins escaped a couple of sacks to pick up positive yardage, which don’t always show up on the box score.
Because of how poor the offensive line played in the first half, it can be difficult to truly evaluate Wolford’s performance, but McVay and the coaching staff will do their best to analyze how he played.
“You have to take into account the people playing around you, the people that you’re playing against,” McVay said. “So there’s a lot of layers to it, but the film, when you’re able to just take a step back is always the best way to get a clear, clean evaluation. But overall, I was pleased with the decision-making of both those guys, the overall operation and making good decisions within the framework of each play.”
McVay didn’t reveal his plan at quarterback for the final preseason game against the Bengals, but the playing time split between Perkins and Wolford will be something to watch. Maybe the Rams will give Perkins the start to see how he performs against a starting-caliber defense, which might help decide this competition – if there is one.
