The Los Angeles Rams are in a pickle. While starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to be ready for Week 1, he's also 37 years old. Stafford is dealing with an aggravated disc in his back. In the meantime, the Rams will turn to Jimmy Garoppolo, who is a serviceable backup but little more than that. If, for some reason, Stafford is forced to miss even more time, the Rams will want to stock their quarterback depth chart with proven talent. This is where a trade could come in.
Behind Garoppolo sits Stetson Bennett IV, who is an unproven, undersized National Championship winner from Georgia. Bennett's potential is there, but he also has limited NFL experience and the Rams would rather avoid turning to him in a worst-case scenario.
Should the Rams trade for a quarterback amid Matthew Stafford's injury?
Stafford is considered week-to-week, so he should be available by Week 1, again. However, if he weren't, Los Angeles ought to consider making a move of some sort. Training camp is an ideal opportunity to make such trades, as teams would rather deal quarterbacks on the roster bubble than outright release them. This is where the Detroit Lions come in.
Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker had a lackluster preseason debut. Currently tabbed to back up Jared Goff in Detroit, Hooker isn't the player the Lions thought he could be when they drafted him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Hooker sat out a year with an ACL injury and was thought to be a first-round talent had he been healthy for the draft process. That being said, there was little chance of Hooker taking over for Goff in the Motor City given how the Lions fans have embraced Goff as one of their own.
The Lions could trade Hendon Hooker to the Rams
Detroit lost their first preseason game 34-7 against the Los Angeles Chargers. In that game, Hooker completed half of his passes and threw and interception. Hooker's value is at an all-time low, and here's what a trade might look like if these two teams linked up.
The Lions would have to take a net loss in any trade of Hooker, in part because he hasn't played up to his potential so far in his brief career. Hooker was selected in the third, and in this scenario he'd be traded for a sixth. That'd be a tough pill for Lions general manager Brad Holmes to swallow.
As for the Rams, Hooker would slide into the QB3 slot, which would be a problem for Bennett. The winner of that battle would back up Garoppolo until Stafford returned. It's a short-term plays, but one that might be worthwhile for LA.