For all the grief Sam Bradford got over his "holdout," his frustration was at least understandable, if not justified. In March, he signed a contract extension with the Eagles that seemingly provided an opportunity to cement himself as the franchise quarterback. Less than two months later, the organization pulled the rug out from under him with the move to draft Carson Wentz. Not saying skipping voluntary OTAs and demanding a trade was the right move for Bradford, but I get it.
Nick Foles, on the other hand, has no such reason to think he's anybody's guy. The former Eagles signal-caller signed a short-term extension with the Rams last year, but already lost the starting job to Case Keenum, who even while concussed was apparently seen as the more competent of the two. Meanwhile, the club has since brought number one overall pick Jared Goff into the fold as well, which essentially makes Foles the third-string quarterback.
A third-string quarterback who reportedly has been staying away from voluntary OTAs. Is there even precedence for such a thing?
Veteran quarterback Nick Foles, a regular when offseason workouts began April 18, has not participated in a team-run training session since the Rams took Goff first overall. The fifth-year pro even skipped the start of organized team activities on Tuesday, and multiple sources told ESPN.com it is because the Rams drafted a quarterback.
It's hard to dislike Foles, but there's no way of getting around the fact that he was terrible in 2015, nor especially good in his final year with the Eagles. Last season he posted a 4-7 record as the Rams' starter while completing 56.4 percent of his passes for 5.2 yards per attempt with seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions — miserable numbers that come out to an equally miserable 69.0 rating. Sounds like Foles could use all the practice he can get.
Granted, the Rams offense stinks, and Foles has looked better with a proper supporting cast. That being said, I can't imagine there are many teams clamoring to make him a starting quarterback or even pit him in a competition for the job, so it's unclear what exactly he aims to accomplish by sitting at home. After all, the Rams would almost certainly love any salary cap savings a trade would create, so it's not like Foles has to make any demands — as if he were in any position to.
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Foles' best hope is somebody needs a backup and sees him as viable in that role, which the former third-round pick probably is in the right situation. Skipping practice isn't necessarily doing him any favors though, because there typically isn't a huge market for third-string quarterbacks in June.
There typically isn't a huge market for third-string quarterbacks at all.
