Wagoner: Can Foles be Rams' long-term quarterback solution?

Can Nick Foles be Rams’ long-term quarterback solution?

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/19029/can-nick-foles-be-rams-long-term-quarterback-solution

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Upon making the big trade that sent quarterback Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for quarterback Nick Foles and draft considerations, the St. Louis Rams instantly changed their future at the game’s most important position.

Foles is the short-term future, that much we know after coach Jeff Fisher immediately named him the starter. But whether Foles proves he can be the answer beyond 2015 is one of the many important questions the Rams must answer this season.

Nick Foles
Nick Foles has an opportunity in 2015 to secure his future.
On Friday, ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates put together a list of the biggest upcoming roster decisions facing each NFL team. It should come as no surprise that Foles and the quarterback position were his choice for the Rams.

The Rams actually have a lot of questions to answer as it pertains to the roster after this season with so many pending free agents, including starters such as�cornerback Janoris Jenkins, defensive tackle Michael Brockers and safety Rodney McLeod, among others. As always in the NFL, though, it’s the quarterback position that matters most.

Foles is a free agent after the season and is a bargain at just $1.542 million against the cap this season. How well he performs will not only determine whether the Rams view him as a long-term answer but how much of a raise he’ll get when the time comes.

In an ideal world for the Rams, Foles will play well and earn a lucrative extension. Finding a capable or better starting quarterback is one of the most difficult tasks in the league these days, especially given the plethora of spread-based signal callers coming out of college. So if the Rams can turn out to be one of the fortunate few to have one already on the roster, it should indeed make the rest of the roster building a much easier proposition.