In the NFL, the saying goes that if you've got two starting quarterbacks, then you don't really have any starting quarterbacks. You've either got your guy, or you don't. And if you don't, you need to expend every possible resource and exhaust every possible avenue to go and get him.
Despite this old adage - or perhaps because of it - the St. Louis Rams and head coach Jeff Fisher are apparently planning to go into next season with injured incumbent Sam Bradford as one quarterbacking option, and at least one as of yet undetermined second player as their other quarterbacking option.
"There's going to be competition at the quarterback position, there's no doubt," Fisher said, according to Conor Orr of NFL.com. "With somebody that's not in the building right now. We're hopeful for that."
Fisher had said previously that Bradford, who is set to enter the final year of his rookie deal and has just an 18-30-1 record and has completed only two full seasons since being the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, is still very much in the team's plans for next season.
But now, it sounds like, while Bradford may very well have every opportunity to stake his claim to the job, he won't find himself the unquestioned starter next year.
The Rams are set to select tenth in next April's draft, leaving them just beyond striking distance of the top two available quarterback prospects - Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. Perhaps a later round option like Brett Hundley or Garrett Grayson is in the cards.
A trade is always possible, perhaps for a promising backup like New England's Jimmy Garoppolo - though it's hard to envision the Patriots giving him up with Brady finally seeming to age and the promise he's already shown - or Denver's Brock Osweiler.
And what is there to say about free agency other than it's an ill-advised option if you're looking for a true starting signal-caller?
The team also has Shaun Hill and Austin Davis on the roster, but neither player has given any indication that they're anything other than a backup at the professional level.
Bradford is set to make $13 million with a $16.6 million cap hit for next season - numbers the team probably won't be happy to stick with. His best statistical year came in 2012 when he played in all 16 games and threw 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
It's looking more and more like he isn't the long-term answer at the game's most important position for the Rams and the team will continue to look elsewhere until they find the guy that is.
