There is much speculation in NFL circles as to what, exactly, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly needs in a quarterback and whether or not he believes he already has that on the roster, which then leads to the discussion of whether he'll be looking to move up in next April's NFL Draft to select his former Oregon pupil Marcus Mariota.
If Kelly doesn't view Nick Foles, last season's opening day starter, as the future of the franchise at the game's most important position, the St. Louis Rams, along with the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans are, according to the latest rumors, very interested in taking him off their hands.
"According to a person familiar with the situation, but who requested anonymity, the St. Louis Rams have interest in Foles should the Eagles decide to trade him this offseason," writes Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com.
Part of the reason for the increased interest from the Rams and other teams around the league is the apparent lack of firm interest in keeping Foles on the part of Kelly and the Eagles.
Asked after the season if Foles was "the guy" going forward, Kelly would only say that he didn't know and that he and his coaching staff would "sit down and thoroughly evaluate everything."
Foles clearly regressed from the 2013 season when he threw 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions, though injuries along the offensive line and a stunted running game may have been as much of a reason for his 13 touchdown-10 interception ratio in eight games of work this year as anything.
For the Rams and head coach Jeff Fisher, quarterback Sam Bradford has mostly been a disappointment after being selected first overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He's talented, but he's also injury prone - he's started only 49 of 80 games since he became a member of the Rams - and hasn't seemed anything more than competent when healthy after garnering Offensive Rookie of the Year accolades in his inaugural season.
For a team with an ascending defense and an offense that boasts a number of weapons - Tre Mason, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Kenny Britt, Jared Cook - they may only be a quarterback away from making serious noise in the tough NFC West division.
Foles, viewed in a very positive light by many around the league, could be that guy for Fisher and the Rams.
"Love him," one NFL coach said of Foles, per NJ.com. "Right now I would put him in the second or third tier of quarterbacks, but I think he is right on the cusp of being in the top tier at the position."
It's tough to gauge Foles' value; he was a late third-round pick, but would probably cost the Rams - or any potential team - at least a second-round pick, if not substantially more.
He's under contract for another season at a low cap number so he's especially attractive because he can be brought onboard and auditioned with almost no commitment either financially or in terms of deal length.
