With Sam Bradford sidelined again for the season, the St. Louis Rams could look to trade for Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. Rams coach Jeff Fisher expressed his confidence in backup quarterback Shaun Hill, but he didn't rule out making a trade before the season starts.
Bradford re-tore his left ACL in the first quarter of Saturday's preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. An MRI confirmed the tear, and on Sunday Fisher announced Bradford would be done for the season.
"Anyone that's gone through that procedure and the rehab understands and to have it happen again within the calendar year is very, very difficult," Fisher said, via ESPN. "We're thinking of Sam. I met with him this morning. He's left the building to spend time with his parents. I really can't give you any timetable as to when he's going to have this procedure done."
The starting job falls to Hill, who's now in his 13th season in the NFL. Although Fisher said he felt confident in Hill, he left open the possibility of bringing in another starting-caliber quarterback.
"It makes no sense to jump and react right now and try to fill the hole, whatever it costs," Fisher said. "We're going to take our time and evaluate this. There's going to be some quarterbacks that are getting released, and there may or may not be some quarterbacks that have trade value. We just don't know. It's way too soon."
Cousins, as of now, appears to be the frontrunner for any potential Rams target. He's had his moments since 2012 filling in for injury-prone quarterback Robert Griffin III, and he's played like a starting quarterback over three preseason games this season, completing 35 of 54 passes for 370 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in his limited snaps.
Cousins is still on his rookie deal, which makes for a cheap option for the Rams. The front offices of Washington and St. Louis also have some familiarity with each other after crafting the blockbuster 2012 trade that led to Washington moving up in the draft for Griffin.
Other options include Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez and, albeit far more unlikely, New York Jets backup Michael Vick.
