Austin Davis Is Better Long-Term QB Option for Rams Than Sam Bradford

The St. Louis Rams have apparently settled on Austin Davis as the starting quarterback for the 2014 campaign in the absence of Sam Bradford, but Davis is making a strong case for 2015 and beyond. 

Bradford suffered a season-ending knee injury for a second consecutive year during a preseason exhibition in Cleveland, per NFL.com, and Davis' presence in Bradford's shoes has unexpectedly transformed the offense into an exciting unit that's entertaining to watch—which is something Rams fans have not been able to say since the "Greatest Show On Turf" days. 

Obviously, it's too early to prop Davis up too much after just three NFL starts, but his stellar performance over that stretch begs the question: What will the Rams do at quarterback in 2015? 

Since arriving in St. Louis in 2010, Bradford has not had any blatant shortcomings on the field to warrant a pink slip. However, if Davis continues on his current path, the decision to ditch Bradford will grow easier each day. 

The remainder of this article will look at Bradford and Davis, and it will outline why Davis is the more ideal option moving forward, assuming he can preserve his current level of play. 

Bradford Is No Bust on the Field, but He Costs the Rams in Other Ways

David Richard/Associated Press

Bradford was drafted No. 1 overall in 2010—the final year before the NFL implemented the pay cap on rookies—which makes him the highest-paid rookie in NFL history. It's an honor he'll retain for quite some time, and his status as the richest rookie ever has haunted him throughout his time in the league. 

After winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2010, it appeared that Bradford was on his way to a promising career. The monster six-year, $78 million deal he signed, according to Spotrac, was merely a slight drawback and a small price to pay for the elite quarterback of the future. 

Then, reality set in. 

Bradford had a dramatic sophomore slump that immediately filled the St. Louis fanbase with doubt. During that 2011 season, he tossed just six touchdowns against six interceptions and completed just 53.5 percent of his passes. He missed six games due to injury that season, but he still collected a nice $12.46 million paycheck. 

Since then, the pay-production ratio has consistently been far from even. According to Business Insider, Bradford is the fifth-highest-paid player of 2014—quite lofty for a player who will not take a snap this year.

Albert Breer reported this past February that the 2014 salary cap was set at $133 million, per NFL.com. Given Bradford's $17.61 million cap hit this year, he's accounting for 13.2 percent of St. Louis' salary cap without touching the field. 

In the end, it's not even about the money. Players get overpaid in this league. It's expected. The real issue is Bradford's reliability, and "reliability" is a word few would associate with Bradford's career. 

Yes, Bradford has been a solid contributor when he's healthy and on the field, but how often is that? Not very. 

Bradford missed the six games in 2011, as mentioned, and he missed nine games in 2013 due to a knee injury, per ESPN. He'll add 16 more missed games to his resume by the end of this year, which totals to 31 missed games since entering the league in 2010. 

If you go back further and look at his college career, he missed an additional 10 games during his final year at Oklahoma. Since 2009, Bradford has missed 41 out of his last 77 possible starts. 

Maybe Bradford can eventually get healthy, and maybe he'll rebound his career. But can a struggling Rams franchise really afford to put any faith into the health and well-being of a player who has missed 53 percent of his games since 2009? 

The tools and talents are certainly there with Bradford, but it has unfortunately not panned out. The Rams need a player who can take the field every Sunday, year after year, and Bradford is not that guy. 

Enter Austin Davis

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Third-year pro Austin Davis has been stashed on the practice squad since 2012, but he received the opportunity of a lifetime after earning his first career NFL start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2. 

Davis completed 75.9 percent of his passes during that game and took the offense downfield for a game-winning field-goal drive in the fourth quarter. He managed to lead St. Louis to its first (and at this point, its only) victory. 

Davis threw two ugly interceptions against the Dallas Cowboys the following week, but he also had the offense rolling. He had three touchdown passes and once again completed over 70 percent of his passes. He nearly had a fourth touchdown, but tight end Jared Cook dropped an easy pass that hit him in the hands. 

In St. Louis' latest contest against the Philadelphia Eagles, Davis truly managed to shine. After a horrendous first half for the entire team (including Davis), the Rams rallied for a near-historic comeback. Down 34-7, Davis managed to toss for 252 yards and two touchdowns in the second half alone, and the offense kept chipping away until it was a 34-28 game. 

Davis and the offense got the ball back with two minutes on the clock. Despite being pinned deep in St. Louis territory, Davis pushed the offense to midfield. Unfortunately, two dropped passes stalled the drive and lost the game. Had the Rams capped off that drive with a game-winning touchdown, it would have been the biggest comeback in regulation in NFL history, per the Fox broadcast. 

As a former undrafted rookie in 2012, Davis is making it look easy. According to Rams beat writer Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Davis' 375-yard performance against Philadelphia was just two yards shy of Bradford's career high, and it was the most yards by a Rams passer since 2012 (Thomas meant to say 2012 in this tweet, not 2002): 

"

Further research shows correction on Austin Davis passing yards (375). It's the most since Bradford threw for 377 in 2002 vs. Minnesota

— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) October 6, 2014"

If Davis' performance over the last three weeks hasn't caught your attention, maybe his price tag will. 

According to Spotrac, Davis is costing St. Louis a mere $570,000 cap hit this season—a mere four percent of Bradford's 2014 cap hit. 

Davis is currently working on a one-year deal and is a restricted free agent after this season, but if an extension is offered in the upcoming weeks, we can expect it will still be a more affordable figure compared to Bradford's rookie deal. 

Davis is healthy, cheap and productive. Unfortunately, none of those words describe Bradford. 

Where to Go from Here? 

There's no guarantee that Davis will maintain his current level of play, and that's something the Rams will consider going forward. 

If Davis experiences no drop-off in production for the remainder of the year, the Rams will enter the 2015 season with total confidence in the youngster. The team could grab a veteran or a mid-round rookie to be the No. 2, but there'd certainly be no need for Bradford and his sizable $16.58 million cap hit in 2015. 

In that scenario, the Rams can cut Bradford for a cap savings of $12.9 million (Bradford has just $3.59 million of dead money due in 2015). 

However, if Davis reminds us why he was undrafted over the next 12 games and plays average, it will make the situation more complicated. The Rams will either bring Bradford back on a new deal and have him compete with Davis for the job, or St. Louis will ditch Bradford and use a high draft pick on a quarterback to compete with Davis. 

Either way, there is no scenario where Bradford enters the 2015 season as the team's undisputed starter. The money the Rams can save by cutting Bradford is far too appealing, and it's simply insane to put any faith into the health of Bradford. 

If Davis continues doing what he's been doing, the Rams will have no choice but to place the franchise on his shoulders. With his health, production and affordability, sticking with Davis will be an easy decision. 

Note: All contract information is according to Spotrac.com.

Steven Gerwel is the longest-tenured Rams Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and serves as the Rams' game-day correspondent. You can find more of Gerwel's work by visiting his writer profile or by following him on Twitter.