Los Angeles Rams claim QB Baker Mayfield

Detroit Lions fans have been licking their lips after watching the Los Angeles Rams struggle week after week. Seeing as the Lions hold the Rams’ first-round pick in 2023, the further LA falls, the better for Detroit. And with the seasons of Matthew Stafford, Allen Robinson, and Cooper Kupp almost all certainly over, it looked like the 3-9 Rams were almost certainly going to hand Detroit a top pick in next year’s draft. Currently, the Rams’ pick is fourth.

But on Tuesday, the Rams claimed quarterback Baker Mayfield off of waivers. Mayfield, the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, was waived by the Carolina Panthers on Monday after the quarterback requested to be cut. Mayfield went 1-5 as the Panthers’ starting quarterback this year and was benched several times in favor of PJ Walker. This year, Mayfield completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 6.4 yards per attempt, six touchdowns, and six interceptions for a season-long passer rating of 74.4.

Now here comes the interesting part: According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s entirely possible that Mayfield starts for the Rams as soon as this Thursday, when the Rams face off against the Las Vegas Raiders on “Thursday Night Football.”

While Mayfield likely doesn’t make the Rams a much better team, he is an upgrade over their current set of quarterbacks. Against the Chiefs, Bryce Perkins made his first career NFL start and finished with a 45.6 passer rating. Last week against the Seahawks, it was John Wolford, who earned a 43.4 passer rating.

Will that lead the Rams to any more wins and jeopardize a top-three pick for the Lions? Hard to say, but here’s a look at the team’s remaining five games:

• vs. Raiders (5-7)
• at Packers (5-8)
• vs. Broncos (3-9)
• at Chargers (6-6)
• at Seahawks (7-5)