Why now, when he'll play, and what's next for Baker Mayfield beyond 2022

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- With injuries continuing to equine and a erstwhile No. 1 draught prime available, the Los Angeles Rams shook things up connected Tuesday by claiming backmost Baker Mayfield disconnected of waivers.

The Rams' 2022 play has been a disappointment pursuing their storybook Super Bowl triumph past season. Mayfield, who was the No. 1 prime successful the 2018 by the Cleveland Browns, was waived by the Carolina Panthers Monday. He's present expected to capable successful for Matthew Stafford passim the remainder of the season.

Stafford was placed connected the injured reserve past week with a spinal cord contusion. His earliest imaginable instrumentality would beryllium successful Week 17, though Rams manager Sean McVay said "there's a bully chance" the backmost volition not play again this season.

What does it each mean for Mayfield and the Rams? We dive into the biggest questions surrounding the quarterback's caller digs.

1. Why did the Rams marque this determination erstwhile they are each but retired of the playoff race?

The Rams needed different quarterback. With Stafford connected injured reserve with a spinal cord contusion and apt retired for the remainder of the season, they were already leaning connected backup John Wolford and third-string QB Bryce Perkins.

Wolford, who started the Rams' Week 13 nonaccomplishment to the Seattle Seahawks connected Sunday, was checked retired respective times by the team's aesculapian unit during the crippled and listed connected Monday's wounded study with a cervix injury.

Perkins has started 1 crippled successful his vocation -- a Week 12 nonaccomplishment to the Kansas City Chiefs -- and the Rams needed a much proven option.

Yes, the Rams are fundamentally eliminated from the playoff picture, but Los Angeles inactive has 5 games near and they request different steadfast quarterback.

The Rams are besides alert that if Mayfield signs with different squad this offseason, they could person a compensatory prime successful return.

2. Where does Mayfield acceptable connected the extent chart?

Mayfield is expected to beryllium the Rams' starter, astatine slightest portion Stafford is connected injured reserve.

Now, whether that volition beryllium the lawsuit connected Thursday erstwhile the Rams big the Las Vegas Raiders (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) remains to beryllium seen, arsenic Mayfield would person 2 days to larn the playbook. There's a accidental Mayfield could play Thursday, a squad root told ESPN. The squad is successful the process of sending him the playbook to marque definite helium tin survey the discourtesy connected his formation to Los Angeles connected Tuesday night, a root told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Rams violative coordinator Liam Coen said the squad is "realistic" astir what it means to bring idiosyncratic successful astatine this signifier of the play "and what that really mightiness look like." "If it is thing that tin supply a spark and idiosyncratic that tin travel successful and assistance america vie to triumph shot games, that's the eventual extremity for the past 5 weeks of the season," Coen said.

3. How does helium acceptable into Sean McVay's offense?

When asked astir however Mayfield fits into this Rams offense, Coen said, "it's conscionable benignant of acquiring talent, to beryllium honest."

"Acquiring idiosyncratic to travel successful and measure him, but besides our offense," Coen said. "Continuing to measure the discourtesy [and] the different players. It's much truthful astir acquiring talent. Just getting idiosyncratic successful present that we tin proceed to make immoderate competitory quality wrong the room."

Coen, who was connected the Rams' unit successful 2018 erstwhile the Cleveland Browns drafted Mayfield with the No. 1 pick, recalled that McVay liked Mayfield erstwhile helium was coming retired for the draft. Coen said McVay and Mayfield "had immoderate conversations with him" and that McVay "just liked him arsenic a dude."

4. How does Mayfield acceptable into the locker room?

Rams antiaircraft coordinator Raheem Morris said helium doesn't cognize that Mayfield volition request assistance to acclimate to this Rams locker room. "I deliberation he's got capable societal consciousness to beryllium capable to bash that with the squad that he's coming to, with immoderate of the radical you're going to beryllium around," Morris said. "It's hard to beryllium astir [this] benignant of beardown leadership, these benignant of beardown radical and not effort to find your way." Morris referenced linebacker Bobby Wagner, who had a enactment relation for a agelong clip successful Seattle, saying, "He was capable to find his mode astir the locker country archetypal and easiness his mode into it. "And guys with communal consciousness and guys with a batch of moxy astir themselves, they benignant of bash that naturally," Morris said.

5. Could Mayfield beryllium connected the roster adjacent season?

Making this determination mightiness bespeak the Rams are funny successful figuring retired different enactment astatine backup backmost going forward, but I'm nether the content the beforehand bureau has mostly focused connected what this means for the remainder of the season, alternatively than 2023.

Wolford, who has been with the Rams since 2019, volition beryllium a escaped cause aft this play and Perkins doesn't person overmuch NFL experience.

While the Rams volition privation to measure Mayfield, they're besides alert helium would beryllium playing with a depleted offense: missing wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson and playing down an violative enactment that has started 12 antithetic combinations successful 12 games.